One Wish
by Gwenivere River
Summary: For now the world is at peace, Link and Tetra are happily married and life seems to be settling for the two. Though when news reaches the island that something is amiss will things go array or is it just a silly prank? And who is the hero of this tale?
1. A New Day

**Hullo all! Some of you don't know what my DeviantART account is so I guess that I should update here more often. **

**This is a new version of Origins of the Heart; renamed and completely redone! **

**I hope you all enjoy **_**One Wish.**_

**-Gwen**

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**~Prologue~**

_The cyclone died down as the small boat landed safely in the shallow waters of Mother and Child Isle. Link, stretching his tired limbs, stepped out of the small boat and held out a hand for his companion. Long, blond haired Tetra; with her hair up in a bun usually -wobbled slightly as she grasped Link's arm for support._

"_I can never get used to those cyclones." She said, smiling coyly as she followed Link onto dry ground. Their little boat landed in what looked like a small pool with a stone and more water inside it right in the middle. Little, gold puffs floated around silently. In all reality it was a hidden fairy fountain and Link came to it to get quiet time every now and again._

_Tetra had never been there before and was there for a purpose._

"_After doing it for about ten years it gets easier." Link stated as he put the wind waker back in his satchel._

_Ignoring his comment for the moment Tetra decided to take a better look at her surroundings. She didn't recognize this place and wondered why Link would bring her to such a desolate and strange location._

"_Link?" She dashed towards him, tripping slightly before catching her footing and grabbing onto the back of his tunic._

"_Shh!" He turned sharply making her lose her grip on his tunic before putting a finger to her mouth and looking at her with a smirk, "You'll disturb the peace…" snickering he turned to walk forward._

"_Disturb the peace? But there's no one here, who would I-"_

_Link grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her around and that's when she saw the bushel of fairies floating over the water silently. A small nod came and then she turned around to face him, but she saw no one until she looked down. Link was on his knees praying in complete silence, his bushy medium length blond hair came over his eyes as his head bowed._

_Tetra wasn't sure what to say. Was this why he brought her here? Confused, she only got down on her knees to join him. Opening one eye she could see that he was still in that position. She decided it would be better to close her eyes and follow along until she heard a 'thunk' sound next to her. Eyes popping open once more she looked over to see that Link was on his back with his hands under his head - smiling from ear to ear._

"_You're hilarious, Tetra." He chuckled, "I guess I better stop playing games."_

"_Games? What's this all about? Where are we?!"_

"_Fairy fountain. You can't get in here without the ballad of the gales." He said before getting up off the ground and looking down at her. She was still on her knees in praying stance._

"_Oh. Well-"_

"_Isn't it amazing? Peaceful…I love it here."_

"_Mhm…" Tetra was still confused, "we should go, I'm starting to get hungry-" Before she could even finish Link had slapped a bottle of elixir into her hands._

"_Okay…"_

"_Eat up." It was apparent that he didn't want to leave yet and was saving time by giving her something to snack on. She shook her head and did as he told her, only because she was really hungry. After finishing what seemed like a nice tasty snack, Tetra went to hand the bottle back to Link but yet again found him on the ground. This time positioned on one knee._

"_Link?"_

_He only smiled and took her hand gently, "I'm ending the games now. I always thought if I had one wish that it would be to continue adventuring. Being a pirate, finding treasure…then I realized that -" He paused for a moment and pulled out a small, dainty ring and held it to her, "you're my treasure."_

_Tetra felt speechless at his words, her mouth hung open in apparent shock._

"_Would you marry me?"_

_She staggered backwards and covered her mouth, gazing at the small piece of jewelry that would be her engagement ring…_

_Should she accept it._

_Heart pounding hard inside her she managed to gather her bearings and look at him. He was smiling; waiting patiently for her to accept - or decline. Before her eyes she witnessed her past; meeting Link and his rescuing her. Everything came back to her in a flash. She shook herself out of a daze once again and looked at him. This time he looked a little more worried._

_She got down on her knees and looked right at him, removing her bun and letting her hair fall over her shoulders while she took deep breaths._

"_You can say no…you probably don't want to-"_

"_I wasn't going to say no." She smiled at him softly, something not seen on her very often. She took his hand and opened it to see the ring resting in his palm. She blinked repeatedly trying to stop tears from coming. She'd never really cried before but was close to it at this point._

_Link continued to wait as he watched her tense up. She was squeezing the living daylights out of his hand!_

"_You okay?" Link finally asked._

"_Yeah, of course! The hero of wind just asked me to marry him, never been better…" She let out a long breath and closed her eyes tightly._

"_So you're not saying no, and you aren't saying yes. Is it a maybe?"_

"_Ugh! Why do you make things so complicated, Link?!"_

"_ME?! All I did was ask a question!"_

"_NOT JUST A QUESTION! Link, it was THE question!" She put her hands on her hips after jumping to her feet, glaring at him as he looked down at her._

"_I know it was, it took a lot of courage to ask too!"_

"_Everything is courage with you!"_

_The two just stood in silence after that, staring each other down in a deathly silence that would drive anyone insane. Suddenly after a long abrupt silence the two wrapped each other in a warm embrace and began to kiss passionately._

"_I'm sorry!" Tetra cried between kisses, "I'm sorry."_

_Link just tried to console her and tell her that things would be okay and that she did nothing wrong. He pulled away and looked down at her with a smile, "So…"_

"_Yes." She said with a great big smile, "Lets go for it!"_

_-*-_

**Chapter 1. Island Wedding**

Outset Island was bustling with action and excitement as they prepared for the first wedding in many years! Link's grandmother, Aryll and many other islanders were busy making gifts, food and putting up decorations.

"This is exciting!" Aryll exclaimed, spinning around with excitement at the thought of seeing her big brother getting married.

"I never thought he'd get married, he just never seemed the type!"

Their grandmother was busily sewing a hem on Tetra's gown.

"Mhm, we're all excited."

Tetra said nothing, she was watching and thinking about how life would be after they married. They did discuss it, how the ship would be ran, who called the shots and if they would stay on Outset for a year to rest. And if they started a family sailing would be limited.

Tetra's heart stopped at the word.

_Family._ It seemed so strange to her, and just mouthing it felt weird. The only family she'd ever really known was the pirate crew. She put a hand to her chest and let out a long breath as she tried to make sure she was still breathing.

"Are you alright, Dear?"

She looked down to see Link's grandmother smiling with a little worry in her eyes.

"Oh! Of course, I'm just fine." A smile came to her face as she stretched out her arm to view the little engagement ring Link had given her. It still felt like a dream. She hadn't seen him all morning nor the day before. She'd tried to find him through the gossip stone but he'd not answered her.

"Aryll, find Link for me."

"Huh? Why?"

"It's not like him to disappear." Tetra glanced back and smiled with a wink, "Just make sure he's not causing any trouble."

Meanwhile, Link was standing on the watchtower in some special clothes designed for a day such as this one. A white tunic and some black pants with his brown boots coming over that. His hair, thick and blond, was pulled back with only his bangs nearly hanging over his blue eyes.

"There you are!" Aryll called, "I kinda figured you'd be here, Big Brother!"

He turned back and saw his little sister standing behind him with her hands on her hips and a twinkle in her eye.

"Heh, I just wanted to think for a while before I say 'I do'. I think I have cold feet."

Aryll could only laugh at her brothers comment and walked over, standing right next to him before shoving him playfully.

"Mmm…so you've fought monsters, saved the world twice and you are scared of saying 'I do'?"

"More worried about failing her." Link corrected.

"I don't think you could fail her, you've never failed her before!"

The young hero sighed and looked over the horizon then down at the wedding preparations, it was almost ready and soon he'd have to wait for Tetra to come to his waiting arms where they'd be married once and for all.

"Link…relax." Aryll said, "You two are a team and you could never fail her. You've saved her many times."

"I guess." Link smiled, "I think I'm ready."

"Good! I need to finish getting ready and you should come down before you get your clothes dirty, be careful!"

He shook his head and smiled, watching her carefully climb down the ladder as to not rip her dress. Sighing again, he looked back over the horizon and combed his fingers through his bushy blond hair, "Once and for all." He muttered before following the path his little sister had just taken.

-*-

"_Look at you!" _Orca said as he saw Link approaching the area, "Don't you look like a _gentlemen!"_

Both he and Sturgeon seemed impressed with Link's getup, which didn't look as suffocating as the hero's clothes did in this kind of weather.

"For once." Link muttered, usually he was covered in some kind of grime from doing his adventuring or scaling dark caves. He was actually pretty clean today, despite tripping a bit on his way back after climbing down the ladder. There was a nice little rip in his pants as well.

"What's that?" Aryll hissed suddenly, Tetra was still preparing herself and they were all waiting for her to show up.

"Just a rip…" Link whispered.

"I told you to be careful!"

"It's not a big deal, not like Tetra will notice or anything." He smiled at her but she refused to cut him some slack.

Suddenly he turned his attention to the front where Tetra was coming, looking gorgeous with her hair up and a chain of white flowers on top of her head, she didn't seem pleased about that but it was beautiful no less. A lacy veil covered her eyes and her head was bowed as her cheeks turned bright red.

Soon their hands were clasped together and they were standing next to each other saying vows. It felt strange and so unreal when Link finally reached over and lifted her veil, kissing her and suddenly being hit with all kinds of flowers and rice as the island cheered. Soon a whole festival began, the sun was setting and fires were lit and there was dancing and food and laughter. Link and Tetra received plenty of hugs and congrats as they tried to have fun without getting caught in full blown conversation.

"How long has it been since there was a wedding?" Tetra asked, walking with Link to the deck on Link's grandmothers home.

"Many years I am supposing. I heard Sue Belle got married, but not here."

"Mm…they seem to enjoy it." She looked at him, face flushed and looking a bit sleepy from a long day of preparing and then celebrating. She rested her head against Link's shoulder as they sat down far away from the celebrating.

"We should probably-" Before he could even finish his sentence he heard the shrill voice of his sister.

"LINK, TETRA! There you are! Everyone is looking for you, they want you two to dance!"

Tetra groaned and pressed her face into Link's tunic, "Don't make me go out there."

Aryll kept bouncing and waiting for the newlyweds to say something. Finally, Link stood up and looked at Tetra who had followed suit.

"I guess we really don't have a choice."

So the three of them returned to the festivities which appeared to be ending pretty soon. Link led Tetra to the center and both of them seemed a little bit embarrassed seeing as how they'd never really learned how to dance.

But dance they did.

-*-

"Eek…my feet hurt." Tetra grumbled as she and Link were settling for the night. They'd danced their hearts out until very late in the night or possibly very early in the morning.

"Did you have fun though?" Link asked, sitting down and removing his boots, tossing them recklessly across the room. A loud thud could be heard making Tetra look back and shake her head with amusement.

"I can't say I didn't have fun." She replied.

"Good to know! Because you're my bride now and fun times like that are rare."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Link laid himself back on the bed and closed his eyes with a smile, "The island never has fun. Well in a sense they do, but big parties like that one are rare is what I meant to say."

For such a man of very little words Tetra had heard so much out of him recently. But now she heard nothing. He was sound asleep, clothes in all, curled up on top of the blankets breathing softly. So soft that she couldn't really even hear it over the winds outside. Smiling to herself, she crawled into bed next to him and played with his bushy blond hair, arousing him just enough to get him to say goodnight.

"Goodnight…" Tetra giggled, kissing him carefully not to wake him much more. Unfortunately for her it wasn't what woke him up.

Around sunup a loud banging came and Aryll dashed into the room in the most inconsiderate way she possibly could.

"LINK SOMEONE IS OUTSIDE!"

He shot up, hair disheveled and looking like he hadn't slept in days. Tetra watched as he jumped out of bed and tossed on something sort of clean and tried to mess with his hair - barely - before running out of the room.

"Hmm…" Aryll whispered, "normally he's up much earlier than this."

-*-

Finally making it outside and nearly killing himself running down the steps he managed to gather his bearings and see who it was that Aryll was so in a hurry for him to see. Of course, they didn't get visitors often and when they did it was always a nice surprise, or a bad one. Today it was good, Link rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and grinned from ear to ear when he saw some old friends.

"Komali? Medli? What are you-"

"Hello!" Medli exclaimed, dashing to him and wrapping him in a big hug, she'd gotten quite tall and her hug could almost suffocate him.

"M-Med-"

"Sorry!" She broke the embrace and stepped back, blushing. Komali only crossed his arms and shook his head at the action.

"What are you two doing here? Not that I'm unhappy to see you, it's been…years!"

"Well we heard there was a wedding."

Link ran his fingers through is still messy hair and chuckled, "Yeah, Tetra and…"

"AW! I guessed that was it! Why didn't you invite us?"

Making a face Link was about to explain when Tetra came up behind him and interrupted.

"Medli! It's been ages!" She gasped, bopping Link on the head from behind, "I can't believe Link would forget to invite you, we really should have-"

"No, it's fine, just fine." Medli giggled, "We just wanted to congratulate you and have a talk."

"Mm…" Link nodded numbly as he stretched his arms a bit and rubbed the back of his head, he'd been awake a moment ago but was slowly dozing off again at the word 'talk'. Their talks always led to long drawn out stories and he'd always fall asleep. It was especially awful when the whole team went through their 'paper cutout' phase.

"Oh, I see! Well come in, we're just about to eat breakfast." Tetra grabbed Link's hand - more like jerked it, and they were off to the small house with the two Rito's in tow.

Link woke up more at the smell of food but still seemed a bit dazed as they all sat down and prepared to eat. Tetra chattered on about how the wedding went., how Link proposed and much more about their travels and such. Link couldn't quite keep up still but heard her say many things revolving around 'adventures' and 'Link did this'.

"So, did you guys have any other reason to visit besides congratulating us?" Tetra finally asked as she set down a couple cups of juice on the table.

"Actually, yes." Komali said before Medli could speak up.

"Komali, lets leave the serious matters out of this for now. We should be celebrating!"

"Serious matters?" Link finally spoke up, eyes still glazed over with sleep.

"Oh…" Medli hissed, "we didn't want to tell you about this yet."

Tetra was now frustrated, she wondered what was going on that was of serious business and why they weren't hearing of it until now.

"What?" Link asked, "Tell us what?"

Komali looked at Medli who wouldn't speak, she sighed a little and elbowed him, "Tell them please."

"Fine." He leaned forward, "There seems to be something going on at the Forsaken Fortress."

Link and Tetra exchanged confused and shocked glances before speaking up in garbled sentences, they seemed to be arguing that nothing could possibly be happening there for the place had been unoccupied for several years now.

"Anything can happen there, it is a cursed place." Medli said in a whispering sort of voice.

"But, I've defeated Ganondorf, I've defeated Bellum, what else would be out there-"

"Link, you should know well that there are several beasts out there that could morph into something as awful and powerful as the two of those enemies." Komali said, his face drawn into what seemed to be a disturbed expression.

"Why now?" Link stood up, hands on his hips and face looking off into the distance as he tried to contemplate this. He knew the two of them wouldn't lie to him about something as serious as a disturbance. After all; Medli has the spirit of a sage.

"Link, shouldn't we take them seriously?" Tetra finally said, her voice nearly as quiet as Medli's, which worried him some. She never acted sheepish like this.

"It's not that I'm not taking them seriously." Link replied with a bit of defense in his voice, he sat back down and groaned in irritation. He had a lot of work to do now, not that it bothered him. Adventure was his life, helping others was something he loved to do and if this was going to turn into something that could endanger his family as well as Tetra or others he cared about he had to take a look.

"Then what are you thinking?" Tetra asked, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"That I need to go to Forsaken Fortress and have a look around."

They all gasped, "Link! You haven't been there since…"

"I know the last time I was there, it's probably still a rundown cursed place."

Frowning a bit more, Tetra looked at him with the most worry he'd ever seen from her.

"I can come along and help-"

"No, I should do this alone." Link said, standing to his feet and walking out of the room. He seemed distraught, and who wouldn't be after spending years in peace just to find out that the world was possibly about to be laid to waste again?

"I'm sorry." Tetra said to Komali and Medli, "He's just tired I guess, he's usually so open to the idea of going places - except Forsaken Fortress."

"We know." Medli said, laying her hands gently in her lap, "We didn't mean to be bearers of bad news."

Tetra gave a weak smile and nodded, "It's okay. Better now than never. I'm sure he'll feel better after he's had some breakfast and has time to think of a strategy. I would feel a lot better if I knew what he was up against." Then she smirked, "Of course, he's not going alone."

"What are you saying?" Komali asked, "He told you he was going alone."

"He thinks he is." Tetra got up, there was no way she was letting her husband go without her. She wasn't going to let him fight this thing on his own - whatever it was. She decided to wait until the last minute to gather things and stow away on the ship with Link least expecting it. She'd surprise him later if he didn't find her before then. She looked back to see him emerging from the room smiling, looking a little bit brighter than before.

"Okay, I can handle this." Link said, he had a satchel full of things he used to use when traveling the seas, and he always did use them but only in emergency. He sat back down and began to eat his breakfast in silence. Tetra, normally wouldn't take no for an answer when it came to her ship, her crew and the idea of treasure or an adventure at her fingertips. But knowing Link was stressed and worried about her she couldn't bear to even argue with him.

That's why she thought it be better that she just jump on when he wasn't looking. The sound of adventure sounded more appealing than island life.

After breakfast Link disappeared outside with Komali and Medli. Tetra sneaked into the room and began to gather things and prepare for the journey while Link's back was turned. This was simple, especially when he had more on his mind than normal.

She pictured the scenario in her head over and over again, popping up to help on the ship when it was time to sail. A grin appeared on her tan face and she giggled to herself while picturing it again and again. Only she couldn't play out Link's reaction, she only hoped he wouldn't be frustrated with her.

She doubted he would be. It just wasn't in him to get mad over such things.

"If I was expecting though…" Tetra mumbled to herself, eyes popping open at the thought of herself expecting a baby. She shook her head, it was impossible. She could never see herself mothering a child - nor Link taking the role of father.

"I could be wrong…" She whispered, feeling her heart pound at the idea. Again, she shook her head and finished putting her things in a special bag. She also had her old curved sword that she always wore at her side when pirating.

_Good times._ She thought to herself, still trying to get the family ideas out of her head for the time being. It seemed a silly thing to think in such a crisis as this one. And then she thought to herself 'what crisis?'. They had no information on this matter besides that the Forsaken Fortress had activity. At least she thought that's what they meant.

Heart pounding again, she pressed a hand to her chest and sunk further down on her knees. She felt a bit overwhelmed. What would they meet upon entering the cursed place? Evil pirates? A reincarnation of Ganon? Something more evil than Bellum himself, maybe? She couldn't even imagine what it could be.

Standing to her feet she glanced outside and could see Link sharpening his sword while casually talking to his old friends. Turning back she could only remind herself that they'd come past all of those things and this wasn't going to stop them. Not now, not ever.

_And besides,_ She thought, _I'm Tetra and Link is the hero of wind. Nothing has ever taken us down!_

Feeling reassured by her own words she could only hope that this would be simple, maybe just some amateur pirates being stupid and acting like they are big shots. This made her laugh inwardly.

_Oh well. At least they'll be shown what real pirates are capable of. That'll be the last time they goof off in a cursed fortress._

Even with these words consoling her a bit she still felt a strange sense of worry at the back of her mind. Shoving it off she decided it was best to go with the flow and not worry too much about what was ahead of them.

She still wished she knew though.

_To be Continued…_


	2. It Begins

**That last chapter took forever to update. I'm not even sure my authors notes are accurate anymore because I write them before I write the story. *o* Stupid huh?**

**Oh well, here is the next chapter! :D**

**-Gwen**

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_The pale shock on his face was enough to make her heart pound right out of her chest. She felt a wave of nausea come over her and her body shook with fear. In all her life she'd never felt such a cold chill come over her like this one._

_Looking down all she could see was blood but a mass of something warm and soft was in her arms. She couldn't quite figure out what it was but Link said nothing, his eyes seemed to stay on her as she took deep and labored breaths._

"_It's going to be okay." He finally said._

_Unable to comprehend her surroundings she could feel the mist of the waves against her skin and the cold wind biting at her cheeks and body - unprotected from the cold. She felt her body hit a hard surface, she'd obviously fallen but couldn't be sure what she landed on._

"_Don't speak." Link said, his face still pale and eyes focused on her alone. She could hear a child crying but she was unsure where it came from._

_She placed a hand to her side and felt blood leak through her fingers. Link was busily wrapping something up and carefully setting it at his side before tending to her._

"_Link."_

"_Shh." _

_Before long she felt unspeakable pain wash over her. Every part of her body ached and she wanted to cry out but no words came, no screams. She tried to focus her vision on the object at Link's side, hearing the cries a bit closer than before._

_It went black, she couldn't see for the life of her what was near him but she could hear it. Then a different face came over her, a dark sinister face that made her feel like ice._

"_Beware." He said, "You will lose all you love if you don't obey me."_

_She stepped back, finding the pain gone but her head was swimming, she felt sick to her stomach._

"_Obey me."_

"_No!"_

_Suddenly she was thrown back without mercy, her body crashing into the invisible wall behind her._

"_TETRA!"_

Eyes popping open at the voice she could see Link looking down at her, his whole face was pale and he was wringing out a wet cloth.

"L-"

"Don't speak, you're bleeding." He pressed it to her head and told her to be silent. She felt nauseous even out of her nightmare and the rocking of the ship didn't help at all.

"It…"

"Shh."

She couldn't form a whole sentence until he finally finished putting the cloth to her head, he lifted her back onto the bed and kissed her gently.

"What happened?"

Tetra recalled the dream as if it had really happened, every part of her wished that she hadn't seen any of it.

"It was so real." She recalled, "I was hurt and there was a child or something…you kept telling me not to speak."

Link nodded, "Okay, then what?"

"A man."

"A man?" A look of confusion washed over his face as he sat down next to her, still dabbing the cloth at the wound. The day before Link was shocked to see her aboard the ship, even after telling her to stay home she'd still stowed away. Medli and Komali were also riding along insisting that it would be more interesting to sail than to fly. Link had softened some to the idea of Tetra coming.

He sighed a bit when Tetra hesitated to answer, her eyes closed as she took deep breaths to quell her nausea.

"What man?" Link asked, persisting.

"He said something on the lines of…if I don't…" She coughed a little bit and sat up, stomach churning. She'd never felt sick before when sailing, it was just beginning to annoy her a little bit.

"If you don't what? I'm sorry, I know you hit your head when you fell off the bed but I really need to know."

"Why?" She asked, shivering a little bit and pulling the blankets up around herself, there was a light storm outside.

"It could mean something."

She nodded slowly and proceeded to tell him the end of the dream, eyes filling with tears as she recalled the events. It had been so real and so world shaking that she felt she was still in it.

"Okay. Have you had it before?"

"No, not until tonight…"

A knock on the door came and Link jumped up to get it, just to see Medli standing there looking shaken up herself!

"Medli?" Link rubbed a bit of sleep out of his eyes and turned around to put a shirt on, it was turning out to be quite a morning already.

"Sorry to intrude, I heard the ruckus and came to check on you guys…"

"It's fine." Link sat back down and looked out the window, he couldn't even see the stars through all the rain and clouds.

"I had a bit of a startling nightmare." Medli confirmed, eyes falling on Tetra who looked a bit pale.

"Me too." Tetra shook herself out of a daze and stood up, she couldn't sleep now and felt as though she should be doing something important.

"Oh?"

Link and Tetra went over the events of the nightmare and Medli frowned, "It sounds more like a warning."

"Really?" Link had never had problems with nightmares or anything of the sort. Occasionally he'd have some sort of thought that would warn him of something, but it never deterred his sleep.

"Yes. You see, sages and others connected to the Triforce in some sort of way usually have warnings…of course Tetra would probably get them more than anyone.

She sighed a little bit and crossed her arms across her stomach, "And what kind of nightmare did you have, Medli?"

"It was based on The Forsaken Fortress. We should set coarse to Dragon Roost, immediately."

Link was on the upper decks before anyone could blink which left Medli and Tetra alone in the room in complete silence.

"This could be more serious than imagined." Medli stated.

"I'd hate to think so." Tetra replied, eyes finally lifting from the floor, she looked tired and her head was bruised from falling off the bed earlier during her nightmare. She felt so confused - more than usual. Suddenly the ship came to an abrupt halt and the two girls ran up the steps and onto the upper decks. Wind automatically blew at their faces in a sharp gust.

The skies were pitch black and rain was pouring down, landing on their skin like needles. Growing frustrated, Tetra stomped forward and immediately began to thrash on Gonzo for not being more careful with his sailing.

"I couldn't see a thing!" He replied, "It's too dark!"

"Light the torches!" She barked, eyes narrowed in anger.

"They won't stay lit!"

She looked around to see that everyone was trying, the wind and rain put it out immediately. Link was also trying, doing everything in his power to light the ship. The dark was almost as bad as the fog he'd sailed through searching for the Ghost Ship.

"Anchor here!" Tetra yelled over the wind and the rain, she then crossed her arms and headed for the lower decks with Medli not far behind.

Many hours passed and nothing changed. The storms raged and the waves crashed against the ship's sides. They pulled up anchor and sailed for what felt like days on end with no sun and no signs of land. Even more puzzling was the darkness.

"This reminds me…" Link began with a shiver in his tone, "of something that happened many years ago."

"I think I know what you are speaking of, Link." Tetra managed to say as she tried to drink something warm, it felt so cold to her though.

"Darkness enveloped the world. I sailed to Windfall Island and saw your ship there."

"And stole our bombs."

"For a good cause." Link smiled a little bit but it soon faded, "Such chaos…"

A small laugh escaped Tetra as she stirred her drink around in boredom, "I was clueless to everything back then. I was just so taken with stealing…"

"You steal and get stolen from." Komali cut into the conversation as he looked over what seemed to be a stale biscuit. They hadn't found land so their food was beginning to run low. It wasn't the first time so they were a bit used to it.

"I guess you're right." Tetra smirked, "It only happened a few times…" She gave a glance to Link who only shrugged in defense.

"LAND!" A voice came from above and for once the sun actually peaked through the windows. A giddy filled laugh came from Medli who dashed up to the top decks with everyone following. In the distance they could see Dragon Roost Island.

-*-

"That's the strangest thing I've ever witnessed." Link said as he walked with Tetra off the pirate ship. She walked backwards staring out at the calm seas, it was as if the storm never even happened.

"Maybe it's some sort of magic?" She asked, eyes still focused on the horizon.

"It could be." Medli replied before Link could really answer. They all followed Komali into the giant volcano-like structure. It was breezy, but it didn't give off that eerie feeling Tetra had experienced before. The sun was out and the clouds were thinned in the blue sky, no darkness remained.

"You've returned!" A Rito postman exclaimed. Link recognized him to be the one he'd known personally for many years, he'd not seen him in so long that it was a shock that he recognized any of them!

"Yes, safe. We ran into some horrible conditions." Komali said, arms crossed as he began to converse. Link and Tetra stood behind, serious expressions on their faces. Of course many people greeted them and they smiled but after all of that it was hard to feel at peace.

"We've been to Forsaken Fortress." The Postman stated, "It seems more serious than we could have ever thought."

Link looked up from his slight daze, "What did you see?"

"Monsters, bushels of them. It's not as heavily guarded as it was when Ganondorf had his hands on it. It seems they were expecting someone. You were right to avoid it."

"I see. What else was there?"

"It's hard to say. They were using a lot of magic. I suspect they were the cause of your bad conditions, Link."

Tetra tightened her grip on his arm and looked up at him, "Do you think-"

"No, he's gone. He couldn't have returned."

Medli clasped her hands together and brought them to her chin, "Ganondorf was turned to stone, right? How could he possibly have reemerged?" She looked confused.

"It couldn't have been him. The only way to defeat him is the Master Sword, it was lost in the seas."

Tetra shivered, "It could be anyone out there. They could even be trying to begin where Ganondorf left off."

Link's eyes popped open, "But how? All the things Ganon did happened with the Triforce of Power, am I not correct?"

"You are." Medli said, "I don't see how it could pass to another. The only way that's possible is through an heir. Link, you could be descendent of one who possessed the Triforce of Courage. Tetra, the same goes for you."

"Ganondorf had no heirs." Link stated, "Someone must be using spells that are of some other magic - not the Triforce."

"What is there?" Komali and Medli asked at the same time, both looking very confused.

"There's more than just that out there. I've seen it."

Tetra nodded, "The Ghost Ship had something on it-"

"That was a figment of your imagination." Komali said, trying to make sense of their strange story. He'd heard it but he couldn't make sense of it. No one could. It all seemed so unreal. A strange world, a cursed ship sailing through a fog that could get you so lost that you were sent back to where you started?

Of course they'd all seen some strange things in their time. They had no reason to believe that it didn't happen. Link said nothing, he had argued before but there was no reason to now. They had more serious things on their hands.

"I should go there and scope it out." Link finally said, feeling Tetra's grasp tighten considerably.

"You aren't going without me,"

He glanced down at her and saw that smirk on her face, the wink that she'd always given him when she had an insane idea.

"What are you planning?" He asked, feeling a little more confident about the situation than before.

"You really want to know?"

"Yes."

"Here's the deal!" Tetra exclaimed, this was going to be interesting.

-*-

A dark mist surrounded the Forsaken Fortress as they drew ever closer to what seemed to be dangerous territory. Eyes focused and watching constantly for danger.

Link held onto a rope as he stood at the head of the pirate ship. The search lights were all decayed and broken and the once proud lookout tower at the top of the fortress was still falling apart from being set on fire several years ago. It seemed dead - but eerie too. They stopped the ship and Link went down to the deck, meeting with Tetra who already had the crew, Medli and Komali gathered in a circle.

"Did you see anything, Link?"

"It looks as decayed as it did years ago. But I sense that something is amiss." He fit himself in the circle right next to Tetra, who did her little number on his arm once again. She seemed to have a hard time letting go of him.

"Here's the plan. Komali will fly over and scope out the area, looking for any signs of a head."

"Got it." Komali said.

"We need to find who is in charge of this thing - it could be anyone. Link, you'll sneak around and try to hear any sort of conversation." Tetra confirmed.

He only nodded, this would be similar to his last trek - at least he hoped so. The last time he was tossed halfway across the ocean. He smiled, this would be very interesting. The ship drew closer to the fortress and an eerie sense of worry lined Medli's eyes. She remembered something about her vision but wasn't sure how to say it in mere words. It was a warning.

She watched as Link jumped over the side and swam to the entrance. Long ago the lights had been broken - many of the monsters had disappeared but no one knew what lay waiting there now. She held her breath and watched over the side.

Link grabbed hold of the ledge and pulled himself up, fingers digging slightly into the stone as he prepared to pull himself out of the water and rest on the platform. It seemed so quiet which left him reason to be very nervous. Pushing that aside he ran up the steps, stopping at the corner and crouching down to be sure that nothing was lurking ahead. He glanced around and saw that nothing was there.

"It's safe…" He whispered into the gossip stone.

"Good." Tetra's soft reply came, she was still on the ship but guiding him carefully in case something came from the skies - as it did sometimes.

After hearing his wife's reply, Link stood and inched his way onto the main circle - he could remember fighting phantom Ganon here. It was such a long time ago. Suddenly he felt strange, it wasn't some sort of memory feeling - more like a tingling sensation. He rubbed it off as nothing and headed for the stairs.

The sensation overwhelmed him again and abruptly the sensation changed. Pain - came over him and he stumbled on the step. Shaking with every jolt that went flying through his whole body. It was like having a million daggers tossed into him at once!

"Link? What's the matter?"

He couldn't answer. Trying to ignore it he got himself up, feeling it dissipate for only a moment. He made it down to the main circle again before collapsing for what felt like the millionth time. He couldn't stand, his body was overwhelmed.

"LINK!" He could hear Tetra screaming through the gossip stone, "Link! Answer me!"

He fingered it - unable to get a full grip. He hadn't felt such pain like this since an event he barely recalled. It only happened once and he was able to get out - somehow. Moaning loudly he managed to tighten his grasp around the gossip stone.

"Link! What's happening?!"

The pain continued to wrap around his whole body, literally sucking every inch of his breath and life.

"H - Help…" He managed to breathe before dropping the gossip stone and watching as it rolled across the ground, clanging with every little bounce it had against the stone. Then it stopped, he could just see a foot standing on it briefly before the being picked it up and smirked.

"LINK?!"

As his vision was fading he could hear another voice - a voice like no other.

"Don't worry," The sinister tone began, "dying slowly isn't as bad as it seems."

-*-

"Dy-dying?" Tetra stuttered, face paling at the word.

"WHO'S DYING?!" Niko shouted, his short attention span didn't permit him to pay attention to the conversation.

She dropped the gossip stone with a loud clang and held her breath before turning and looking as though she was about to rip someone's head off.

"Get in there and save him before I literally kill someone myself!" She screamed, tearing up as her face reddened. She obviously wasn't happy about the current events of this night. She was nearly on her knees trying to hold back her frustration - her tears.

"Tetra, calm down! We're going to get him out, it's okay." Medli tried to console her but there was no doing it.

"Don't let him die." She muttered.

Medli nodded and flew up to look for Komali. She wasn't sure if he'd seen what happened but by the time she found him he was swooping down to scoop Link up before the dark figure below could get his grimy hands on him. Even carrying him back to the ship Komali noted how cold and pale Link's body was.

He hoped it wasn't too late.

Landing carefully, Komali laid Link down and Tetra was at his side in an instant.

"Link! Speak to me!" She sobbed, pressing her face into his chest, "Please…" She grew angry in a moment and felt like screaming.

"Wake up now!" She barked, "You can't do this! You can't leave me!"

Everyone was watching - they were all sure Link was done for. They'd never seen him look so lifeless before. Medli sunk to her knees and lifted his wrist gently, feeling for any sign of a pulse. It felt like it was fading, but there was strength. She could sense it.

"Please don't go…" She heard Tetra say, looking up to see the normally strong pirate captain sobbing over his lifeless form.

"He's not going anywhere. Tetra, it's going to be okay." Medli soothed, "Quick, get him below deck. I need warm water and plenty of blankets."

Komali got up and looked over the side, seeing the fortress in the distance. Something was covering that place - something horrible and life threatening.

He stood out there while Tetra, Medli and a few others carried Link below deck where he'd be watched for a few days.

And hopefully come out of what looked to be a deadly sleep.

_To be Continued…_


	3. Recovery

**Well that was definitely a cliffhanger thar…I guess it's time to make up for that here. I have a few surprises up my sleeve and I can't wait to throw them out to you all! : D It'll be awesome!**

**-Gwen**

* * *

_Link, don't leave me…please don't leave me._

"Won't leave you…" Link muttered, his eyes barely open and his face slowly regaining color. It had been two days since their visit to the Forsaken Fortress. The seas were calm and everyone seemed to pace and wonder how Link was doing. Except Tetra; who was at his side always.

She opened her own eyes at hearing Link's voice early that morning. She stretched her aching limbs and looked at his face for what seemed like a long time. Tears rested on her cheeks where she'd not wiped them away before dozing the night before. She'd never cried that much before. At the thought of losing Link, it had driven her to do the unthinkable.

"Not…gonna leave you…" She heard his voice again and gasped, wondering if he was only talking in his sleep or if he was waking.

"Link?" Tetra ran a hand over his head and played with his hair a little, "How are you doing?"

He had to catch his breath a little bit before even replying. He felt like he'd run a million miles. Not that he'd never done that before.

"Tired." He finally managed to say, smiling at her weakly before closing his eyes again. He didn't look too great but he looked better than when they rescued him.

"Can you tell me what happened?" She asked in a tired voice, "Do you remember?"

There was a long silence between them as Link stared at the ceiling in deep thought. His eyes seemed blank and his face clear of expression. She worried that he might be sick or unable to remember anything that happened before the incident.

"Something was hurting me." He finally spoke.

"Did something hit you?"

"No. It was more like…an invisible source. Sort of like the stones I walked on in the Temple of the Ocean King. They were cursed."

Tetra laid down in bed next to him and curled up under the covers, resting her head on his chest while she breathed in his familiar scent. A smile came across her face and she played with his hair just a little bit.

"You're safe now." She said, her voice soft and caring, "We're together and that's all that matters."

"But-"

"Don't worry about it right now." Tetra wrapped her arms around him completely, soon feeling him embracing her gently and caressing her cheek. She was relieved to see him smiling reassuringly and soon enough it grew. He laughed a bit and once he realized that he was alive and well he hugged and kissed her.

She smiled as wide as it would go, feeling Link's warmth again was reassurance that everything would be okay. Butterflies overwhelmed her as she felt Link playing with her hair and kissing her. She wondered momentarily if she should go up and tell the crew that he was awake.

No. There would be time for that later.

-*-

The next day the ship ported at Windfall Island where they got off to gather supplies and travel again. The last thing on their minds was Forsaken Fortress. They knew they weren't ready for such a feat as that yet. Though they knew it would have to be dealt with sooner or later.

Link, Tetra, Medli and Komali made their way to the café next to the merchants place towards the center of town. It would be a nice resting place and good place to discuss plans for their journey. Link had his arm around Tetra's shoulder as they entered the room, seeing a few familiar faces - though some more aged. The woman with orange hair that Link remembered still stood at her usual place serving drinks and coffee. She smiled at seeing him and walked over.

"Wow, it's been ages since I've seen you!" She gasped, wondering if she even had the right person.

"Nice seeing you again, I haven't been here since…wow, I was pretty young." Link confirmed her suspicion, shaking her hand before ordering some drinks for the team.

"On the house." She handed them the mugs and they all went to a table. A man in blue with graying hair was close by, eying them with curiosity.

Link pulled a chair out for Tetra and set the mug down in front of her. They continued to smile at each other as though they had hidden treasure in their pockets. Link finally sat next to her and leaned back, holding her hand under the table momentarily. For once, the two of them actually looked like a married couple instead of just comrades that happened to share the same ship. It was strange to see them looking so in love the way they did.

"Link, can you tell us what happened on the Forsaken Fortress?"

"Well I-"

"_Link?_ Aha, so it is you!"

The graying man stood and turned around, his face was awfully familiar but it took Link a few moments to put two and two together. So many people knew him personally - or just had heard his name whispered among stories and wind. Tetra looked a bit confused but then gasped.

"OH!"

Link stared momentarily, still not catching it for quite a few minutes.

"Still as slow. We were only partners for a short time, take a good look."

Suddenly his eyes popped open and he jumped up, "Linebeck?"

"Good one, I thought you'd never get it! You've gotten tall, it'd be hard to shake you up now wouldn't it?"

Link could only laugh at the comment, his face turning a shade of red as he recalled how he was treated by this person many years ago - before fighting Bellum. Though at the end of their journey his partner had become less selfish.

"Yeah, I guess it would be." Link finally replied, rubbing the back of his neck nervously before he shook Linebeck's hand. The man whipped around, grabbed up his mug and sat down at the table with the four of them - though in between Tetra and Link somehow.

"Never thought we'd cross paths again. It seemed pretty unreal, though I think I caught site of your boat when I got of the Ghost Ship. I still have the hourglass too." Link explained.

"No one believed I had such a journey." Linebeck nodded slowly, "You?"

"Haha, they still aren't convinced. Oh, sorry about my manners. Medli, Komali, this is Linebeck. I traveled with him for some time on one of my adventures."

Komali only nodded and Medli waved shyly.

"It's good to meet you all. I can't say how I got here, I've been sailing on and on for a while just bouncing from island to island."

"I don't think we were introduced very well, Linebeck." Tetra smiled, "It's nice that I get to converse a bit better now. Our meeting was very much cut short back then."

"Yes, I do think so. You've grown up also, you both were shrimps when I last saw ya!"

Tetra laughed, "I suppose we were. I can't say growing up has done us much difference though." She played with the ring on her finger and tilted her head to the side, taking her eyes off it only briefly before leaning forward to catch Link's eye.

"Link, should we tell our friend about the events?"

He nodded, "Of course. The Forsaken Fortress has activity."

"Link almost died four days ago. He's been a little weak since then but he's gaining strength now." Medli sighed, "I wish I knew what kind of magic it was."

"It's familiar." Link corrected.

"Tell me." Linebeck looked very curious.

"Well when I stepped onto it I felt funny and then it started sucking the life out of me. It was so painful sort of like-"

"The Temple of the Ocean King. Yes, I remember that." Linebeck sighed and picked up his mug, preparing to take a drink of it before he changed his mind and put it down. He had something on his mind no doubt.

"You say you still have the hourglass?"

"Yeah, but it doesn't have any sand. It wouldn't be effective at all here. Unless I found sand of hours it would be useless. I'd be flat on my back - again." Link shuddered slightly, "I barely got anywhere."

"You really wouldn't. Unless you had some sort of potion to keep you up and a few zones to stand on so you don't get life sucked out of you."

Komali and Medli exchanged glances. It still seemed so confusing and unreal what happened between Tetra, Link and Linebeck. Now they were meeting this person for real and it sort of seemed logical. Of course what is logic when so many things seem unreal?

"We can't go back there until we think of a way." Tetra spoke, cutting in as soon as she could find an opening. She sighed and leaned back, "I don't want Link going through something like that again. I'm too stubborn to let him go back there. And to think, he wanted to go _alone_! I'm so glad I stowed away, it would have been a nightmare!"

"I'm sorry." Link nearly pushed Linebeck out of the chair just to sit close to her again, "I won't think so irrationally again. I promise."

She smiled, "It's okay. I think we're even now."

Linebeck moved to the next seat and Link sat down, he was holding her hands and whispering something to her - cutting off their serious conversation. Tetra seemed a bit frustrated at first and then she brightened, laughing a bit at his secret comment.

Komali sighed, "They've been acting weird since yesterday, when Link woke up."

"Yeah, they kept to themselves for hours." Medli agreed.

"Hey, Link!" Linebeck slapped the back of his head, not too hard but hard enough to get his attention.

"WHAT?!" He barked, now agitated about his newly acquired wound.

"I see you two are still friends?"

"Ah, she's my…um…"

"I'm his wife." Tetra finally said.

"Aha, I see! That's news to me, I've not heard a thing from ya in years."

Link chuckled a little, "Sorry about that. No one seemed to hear from me in years. It's been pretty hectic. Sailing, finding treasure - are you still big on treasure?"

"If I find it, I find it, I can't say having a little fun searching is a bad thing. It just doesn't take me over like it did. How about you?"

"I wasn't that huge on it when you met me. If I found treasure it always had a purpose. The hourglass, gems, et cetera."

"We still treasure hunt." Tetra corrected, "It may just come in handy for this deal." She said, referring to the Forsaken Fortress.

"I lost the gossip stone there. That man still has it." Link frowned, "I didn't mean to lose it."

Tetra kissed him, "It's okay. We'll get it back after we kick his butt." She grinned confidently.

He smiled at her action but said nothing in reply. He had a lot on his mind and couldn't seem to quite get together what his mind chose to scramble and toss around. The last thing he wanted to do was feel worried or confused. The room grew quiet and everyone seemed to be thinking, except Linebeck, who probably would rather not get involved in all the hullabaloo.

But then he surprised all of them.

"What say I help you all out?" He asked, smiling with a twinkle in his eye.

Link wasn't sure if he was in it for the treasures ahead or if he just felt like being helpful. Tetra really didn't know him from before so she didn't hesitate to tell him that she thought it was a great idea.

"Perfect! We'll set sail and find sand of hours!"

Link's face turned pale, "The only way to get sand of hours was to defeat monsters and find it under the sea. It's not that simple."

Tetra laughed, "Nothing is simple with us, Link. I'm up for it if you are!"

"I guess we don't have a choice. I'm up for the adventure."

Komali and Medli nodded, brightening up a bit when Link did.

After a while they said their goodbyes and were soon sailing again. Linebeck's boat followed along behind Tetra's ship.

-*-

Late that night Link and Tetra were sitting close to each other with candles at the sides of their bed. It was quiet and all they could really hear was the ocean outside. Tetra sighed, her chest rising and falling as she prepared to speak to Link about something she felt was slightly important.

"Link," She began slowly, "I wanted to ask you about something that came to mind after our wedding."

Link looked up from the map he was reading and waited for her to continue. When she didn't go on right away his brows furrowed and his head tilted in confusion.

"What is it?" He tried to stifle a laugh, especially if it was a serious matter.

"I…I was wondering how you felt about…family."

He didn't respond right away which made her nervous. How could she; a pirate captain growing up with no mother or father and raised by a bunch of dirty men, feel okay about children and family and he not? He was the one who grew up on a quiet island with a little sister and a grandmother.

"I really have nothing against it but I'd love to wait a couple years before settling down like that." He finally said.

"Yes, sounds good to me! We'll settle and then start a family, then we can all sail together."

"Yep." Link replied, nodding. "Still, the idea of being a father and traveling seems intimidating. Maybe it would be better if we didn't really get into that."

Her face paled, "Huh?"

"If you want children one day it's okay. I'm just not sure with our lifestyle how it would work out."

She bit her lower lip and laid down, wondering if it was a good idea to ask him. She felt a shiver roll up her spine and wondered if he'd ever change his mind.

_But he didn't really say no…_ She thought to herself feeling a bit better. She shook her head and played the shining, gold ring on her finger. It felt so foreign to her still, though his kisses didn't. The more she thought about it the more her face turned red. She also giggled at the idea of curling up under the covers that evening.

She felt completely connected to him in so many ways. And at that moment she could feel his eyes on her. Rolling over she confirmed her suspicion, he was indeed staring at her.

"You okay?" He asked, smiling softly.

"Wonderful. Why do you ask?" She sat up, collar of her shirt hanging loosely over her shoulder. Her face was still flushed red from her own deep thoughts and musings.

"Well you seemed sort of…excited."

Tetra shrugged and began to undo her bun, it was getting loose from laying down and she found it easier to sleep with it down than up. She then rested her back against the pillows and watched as he turned his attention back to the maps. He'd been studying all night without end. Biting her lower lip she tilted her head to the side and blinked.

"Link, do you have a strategy?"

He rolled up the map and listened to the waves, eyes falling to the floor in dismay.

"No."

Tetra sat up straighter. She was surprised that he didn't have anything more to say than that. Normally there was some sort of magic something telling him what to do. Not this time. He felt like he was on his own.

"Maybe we should let it rest. I'm sure that this is stressing all of us to think that there is nothing to be done. Besides, Linebeck is coming along now and maybe he'll be able to-"

"He didn't even help when you were taken, Tetra. As nice as he sounds now I'm not sure if I can completely trust that he'll-"

"But he helped us when Bellum came. Maybe he's changed!"

Link smiled at her confidence and slid under the blankets where she immediately began to cuddle him. She felt his warmth against her cheek as she pressed it to his chest, finding so much comfort being close to him. Time didn't exist when they were alone.

Finally she felt his arm wrap around her and pull her close before he used his other arm to pull the sheets over her and himself. He kissed the top of her head and fingered her blond, wavy hair. There was a cozy silence as the two curled together and started to fall asleep.

But it was soon disturbed.

"Your toes are cold." Link said abruptly.

"Shut up." Tetra giggled and tugged his ear roughly, receiving a nice yelp from Link in reply.

"Hey! What was that for?!"

She didn't respond, she was too busy cutting off circulation in his arm and curling up as close as she could before yawning and dozing off completely. He couldn't help but think how adorable it was that she clung to him in that fashion. But sometimes he wondered what made her cling like that. He felt like he came close to failing her almost every single day. He strived to protect and pamper her in every way he could. His vow to himself and to her was to never fail her. And seeing her cling to him in that manner made him feel like he could protect her better that way. If she was always at his side.

And yet Link found himself unable to sleep that night. Even with her even breathing notifying him that she was safe and sleeping soundly he still couldn't calm his worried nerves.

After several hours of tossing and turning his body finally gave way to sleep.

_To Be Continued…_


	4. One Month Later

**This chapter definitely wasn't as lengthy as I thought it'd be. But that's okay! ^^  
**

**-Gwen**

**

* * *

**

Weeks passed with no avail in finding the Sand of hours or any way to get onto the Forsaken Fortress. Summer seemed warmer than usual this year and Link felt that it would soon drive him insane if he didn't find some way to cool off.

They'd sailed to an isle made completely of ice where Link and Tetra would lay face down and converse while trying to cool off. It was amazing how that island didn't melt in the heat. So far there was no activity and the world seemed peaceful and quiet.

-*-

"Why are you so complicated?!"

Link dodged as Tetra threw a glass vase at him, nearly hitting him in the head with it. Before she could tear him apart any further he dashed out of the cabin and ran to the top decks. Life had become a bit more interesting recently. With Tetra being more snappy than usual and everything being so eerily peaceful he wasn't quite sure what to think.

"And just a month ago you two were all kissy kissy all over each other." Komali forced back a laugh while the rest of the crew were already snickering amongst themselves.

"It's not that we aren't now. She's just being impossible." He whispered, hoping she didn't hear it. She'd been sleeping a bit more lately and he figured it was just the heat getting on her nerves. It was cooler below deck where it was dark and the sun wasn't beating on her too much. Even Link, working above opted to do his chores without a shirt on.

"Girls are always impossible. Take Medli for instance. She's been sitting on the crows nest all day in this blistering heat."

"Why?"

"She's praying." The Rito replied, glancing up.

"I see. Maybe if she prays for Tetra this bout with whatever will end. I'm scared she'll kill me in my sleep at this rate."

"Now that's scary. I'm sure she'll be fine eventually." Komali came over and patted Link on the back but it didn't seem to calm the nervous wreck that was the hero of wind.

Before the two could even speak again they heard the door that led to the cabins below creak open. Tetra, looking more chipper than earlier had her hair up neatly and was wearing her usual 'it's too hot' clothes. A tank top that showed her belly button and some white and purple knee length shorts. She was also barefoot which was strange for her. She usually sported some sort of sandals on her little feet. Her vest was off and she immediately strolled over to Link who paled a bit.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered, hugging him and kissing his neck before looking right up at him. A small smile graced her pretty face and she twirled a finger through his bushy, blond hair.

"I forgive you…" Link smiled as though their little fight had been nothing more than an itty bitty spat. It was the complete opposite. It had been quite a war and half the ship heard it.

"Could you help me clean up the glass in our cabin?" She asked, pressing her face to his chest, "I'm so tired."

"Okay." He carefully put an arm around her shoulder and led her back down the steps. Half the crew watched in awe. They thought she'd be fuming when she came up but she was opposite!

The couple got to the cabin and swept up the glass with Tetra saying 'watch your step' over and over again. It seemed clear to Link that she was being a bit over protective - especially towards him and he was wearing boots.

"You're barefoot." Link finally pointed out.

"So?"

"You should be more careful." Bad choice.

Tetra's face twisted up in anger, "Don't tell me what to do!" She barked, stepping back and immediately cutting her foot on a small shard of glass. She fell onto her bottom and cried out, holding it and gasping when she saw it bleeding.

"Ack! Don't move!" Link fell to his knees on the floor and carefully tried to pull the glass from her bleeding foot. She began to sob uncontrollably making it hard for him to make out anything she was saying.

After stopping the bleeding he found a rag and pressed it to her foot.

"Shh, it's going to be okay."

"No it's not! It hurts and I feel awful!"

"What else feels-" The words were barely out of his mouth when she threw up all over his pants, making it known that she'd probably been nauseous. He wasn't sure when that started and she hadn't told him earlier.

"I'm sorry." Tetra stopped sobbing and put her hands over her face, shaking her head in dismay, "I'm so sorry."

"Shh, stay still. I'll be right back." Link walked away and discarded his now tainted pants and changed into something different. He made his way back over to her and finished cleaning up the mess she'd made. After all of that was done she fell into his arms and cried her eyes out. By then she was pale and shivery and he wasn't sure how to help her other than to get her into bed and let her rest. He lifted her off the floor and carried her to bed, moving the covers back and setting a pillow at the foot of the bed so she could keep her injured foot propped up. After covering her up and helping her calm down he made his way back up to the top deck to find a bucket.

Just in case.

-*-

"Ugh…" Medli hissed as she looked over the horizon. It had been the worst week ever for her. She'd kept to herself mostly and was trying to focus on what seemed to be a frustrating vision she'd gotten three times already. Making out the warbled images and the funny sounds was what made it even more challenging to gather.

"You okay?" A little man behind her asked.

"Yes, fine." She replied. It was also impossible to find any alone time and she considered flying off for a bit to think a while. But then she'd have to focus even more on what was ahead of her. It was so much easier to sit still and breathe rather than flying and trying to pray at the same time.

She glanced over a bit to see Linbeck's ship following close behind theirs. He'd been following for a while and occasionally would stop and collect supplies or take another route to do whatever Linebeck does. She sighed a bit and sat down, clasping her hands together in silence before another voice came and ruined her concentration.

"Medli."

She looked up to see Komali standing over her, sending a worried glance in her direction. He'd not seen her very much recently and looked a bit sad for that reason.

"Oh, it's you. I'm sorry I was so close to snapping again."

"It's fine. Is something the matter?"

"Ah. I suppose you could say it is. It's a vision."

Komali sat down next to her and stay quiet as though he were waiting for her to continue telling the story.

"I have a feeling it's about the Forsaken Fortress."

He nodded.

"And I have another feeling that there is no sand of hours."

His eyes widened abruptly, "What?! Is it a myth?"

"No, it exists. It's beyond our reach, however." She frowned deeply and the images of Link and Tetra danced around in her mind. She pictured them happy again, not stressing over the unknown. Though lately she knew Tetra had not been well and the last thing on their minds was the Forsaken Fortress.

"Is it gone or just complicated to reach?"

"When is anything ever easy to get to?" Medli replied with a question. She debated on going down to discuss this with Link but he really didn't need anything else on his plate at the moment.

"I guess not."

"Maybe it's not really a threat. It seems serious but I don't think it's possible that it's as dangerous as everyone makes it out to be. My visions show that something else may endanger Link and Tetra."

"What else could possibly endanger them?"

"Many things could; but it's very unclear."

Komali stood up and looked over the side where Link was picking up a bucket and carrying it to the cabin. After looking for a moment he glanced back to see Medli praying again. He glided down and ran elsewhere to check out some other events. He wanted to investigate everything he could so he could at least be somewhat useful on the ship.

-*-

Late that night Link was still catering to Tetra. She'd began to run a fever and was curled up in a ball crying. She was out of sorts and Link wasn't sure what to do for her but hope she'd be okay. Her face was pale and her cheeks tinted red from crying so much and her hair was messy. She kept apologizing for snapping and getting sick.

"I'll be better in the morning." She said shakily, clammy hands holding onto Link's.

"Even if your not you'll get better eventually. I'll believe that though. Does anything hurt?" He asked, frowning deeply.

"My stomach." She whispered, eyes tightening as she winced.

"It could be something you ate."

She was about to reply when she jumped out of bed and limped out the door and to the edge of the ship where she proceeded to gag. Link soon followed, holding her hair back for her as she leaned over the side.

"I want off!" She sobbed, "It's making me ill." Her body tensed in his arms as she gagged again. He'd never seen her throw up like this before, it had been once earlier but now she was repeatedly getting sick. After she emptied the contents of her stomach she collapsed, nearly sliding from Link's grasp. He caught her better under the arms and sunk to his knees to cradle her. It was completely silent on deck, everyone was resting for the night and he figured the cool breeze outside would help her feel better.

She coughed and her teeth chattered as she gripped his pants leg. She continued to tense in his arms and sobbed until no more tears would come. Link rocked her back and forth, hands rubbing her arms gently.

"It's going to be okay." He consoled, "I promise."

"Mmm…not when it feels like my intestines are tying themselves in knots." That sounded more like her, she must have been feeling a bit better.

"Does it still hurt?"

"Nausea's gone…I just feel achy all over…hold me?"

Link smiled at her and held her closer to himself before carrying her to their cabin. He stroked her hair as she fell asleep next to him. Finally. Laying there beside her and keeping an eye on her helped him to stray his thoughts for a while. He closed his eyes and began to doze until something woke him from his brief slumber.

The sound of the gossip stone. Tetra's was laying on a little table next to their bed, glowing in it's strange brightness that it put off when someone was trying to contact them.

He picked it up and walked quietly out of the room - careful not to wake Tetra. After getting to the top deck he replied slowly and unsurely.

"Who is this?"

"You dropped this." The voice said, "It looks like it's working to my advantage. Now I can warn you of all the doom and gloom that's going to befall you and your precious loved ones."

Link recognized the voice. His eyes widened at the memory, the horror of it all.

"_Don't worry," The sinister tone began, "dying slowly isn't as bad as it seems."_

"Who are you?" Link asked, voice booming with anger.

There was no answer. The light from the gossip stone faded and Link groaned. Now he had even more things to worry about! The enemy still had his gossip stone and there was no way to get it back.

"He can see my every move…" Link muttered to himself. He stood at the edge and lifted into the air, ready to throw into the dark depths. But he reconsidered this action. He pulled it back and looked right at it. There was no way of knowing what this being planned to do to him and his family. Link clutched it in his hands. All he knew to do was explore, find the sand of hours and protect Tetra. He stood at the edge longer and groaned, frustrated. He felt like there was no way out of this and on top of that he had to take care of his wife and make sure she got well again. Her illness puzzled him beyond words. He glanced back at the door leading to their cabin and wondered if he should go back to bed. Then he changed his mind. He had too much to think about it and it would surly deter his sleep.

He walked back to the door and peeked inside. Sure enough Tetra was curled up in bed sleeping. He only hoped she'd stay that way the whole night. She needed her rest.

Link climbed up the ladder to the crows nest and laid there - thinking of everything that was happening around him. The world began to go blurry and eventually sleep took him.

-*-

Tetra woke up the next morning to see the sun shining into the cabin and feeling as though it was going to blind her. She still felt sore and a bit sick but not as bad as the night before. She climbed slowly out of bed and limped on her sore foot, bandaged carefully by Link himself. She examined it briefly before grabbing her stomach in shock. It felt like a million little butterflies were fluttering around and then came nausea. She flopped back onto the bed and began to whine.

"Ugh, when will this end?" She ran her fingers through her tangled, blond hair. She couldn't help but notice how bad it felt between her fingers. Even worse was the feeling in her stomach. She wanted to curl up in a ball and just sleep for the rest of the day.

Tetra finally forced herself to get out of bed, clutching her stomach and limping towards the door. She wasn't sure where Link sneaked off to but felt too tired to really look for him either. Then she rethought her plan. She wasn't really sure how awful she looked and did not want her crew to see her looking so terrible first thing. Normally she was collected and very ready for the day earlier than this. She knew it was later by the way the sun was peeking through her window.

Turning on her good foot she limped over to her drawers where she put together an outfit for the day. Her simple pirate clothing and some pins for her bun. Sitting down she proceeded to brush the knots out of her hair and put it up in a neat fashion. Not that it really mattered - but she was always busy and it was nice to have it out of her face. After finishing that she tied a red colored belt around her waist and slipped her curved sword at her side.

"There, that should do it." She nodded in approval at her reflection.

Suddenly pain rolled through her stomach, literally sending her to her knees in surprise. She groaned and winced as her stomach irritably twisted her insides into knots. Managing to get to her feet she dashed for the bucket Link had left her the night before and gagged. Not having eaten or drank anything she wasn't surprised to see that there was nothing to empty and cried out in frustration, kicking the wooden bucket out of view.

"Pirate captains don't get sick!" She shouted to herself, "Gah! Stupid old biscuits and whatever…" she grumbled to herself and limped out the cabin door.

Her crew was in for a bad day. Especially since she was ready to bite off some heads. She made her way out into the open where she could see everyone steadily working at Link's command. He seemed very busy but that was to be expected if he was trying to get her to rest.

The sun felt warmer than ever and she wobbled a little and reached out for the crows next pole for support. One arm rested against the pole and the other her stomach. She took deep breaths and caught herself as she prepared to move towards Link who was pointing out a few things on a map.

"Aye aye." She heard one of her crew members say as he began to walk away from Link and get back to his place.

"Link…"

He looked in her direction and smiled, "Hey, you should be resting." He stated in a worried voice.

"I've rested enough." She smiled back and nodded to him cheerfully. She was trying hard to fight back the urge to cry out in frustration again. She felt like she could collapse.

"Is your foot doing better?"

"I guess so." She'd not paid too much attention to it. She'd been limping of course but her mind hadn't quite registered pain.

"Good. I'm glad to hear it. Is your stomach still upset?"

"No." She lied, "I think I'm ready to get back to my duties for the day." Her hand subconsciously went to the place that felt most irritated and hissed in discomfort.

"Tetra? Are you okay?"

She was about to respond when she suddenly felt like all her energy was being ripped from under her. She swayed a little, falling forward as her eyes closed.

Link caught her by the arms and pulled her up to better hold her. She was unconscious and feeling feverish again.

"Tetra?" Link looked shocked, also worried that this was more serious than she was letting on. He laid her down carefully and everyone began to gather around, muttering questions.

"What happened?" Medli's voice came, she was getting on her knees and checking for a pulse while Link was feeling Tetra's forehead for a fever.

"She came up to me and told me she wanted to get back to work and was feeling fine. Then she just collapsed."

"That's just like her." Medli replied to Link's words, pulling out a little jug of water and pouring a little on her hand to cool off her face. The fever was making her cheeks red and she looked very sick.

"Lets get her back to bed again." Link said in a worried voice. He picked her up off the ground and took her back to the cabin with Medli following.

-*-

"She's not doing well at all, Link." Medli pressed a cold, wet cloth to Tetra's forehead and gently wiped it down her crimson cheeks.

"What can we do?" He asked, the thoughts of all the events slowly slipped from his mind. He was more worried about Tetra now and wished he could just escape everything else for a while. He didn't feel like saving the world right now.

His heart was breaking over her. She was sick and there was nothing he could do but wait and hope that she would get well soon.

"There isn't a lot we can do at sea. We should probably find an island to rest on. Maybe we can get a doctor." Medli continued to work, noticing that the girl had broken out into a cold sweat, she shivered in her sleep.

"Ah…I'll be back. I'll tell Gonzo your orders."

Link nodded numbly and sat at her side. He held her clammy hand and rested his head on the makeshift bed near her arm. The last thing he wanted to do at this moment was say goodbye.

_To Be Continued…_


	5. Revelation

**This is chapter five. That is all! : D**

**-Gwen**

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"There is an island coming up, Link." a soft voice came from behind.

Link had fallen asleep at Tetra's side the night before but had really been out of it for a while. If anyone said anything to him he had not caught it until now. Turning a little he could see Medli smiling at him sympathetically. They'd all worried over the captain but didn't voice it too often seeing as it bothered Tetra that they worried about her.

She could be fairly defiant against such things usually. Breaking free from his deep thoughts he looked back to see that Tetra was awake and holding his hand gently. She didn't look as pale and flushed as she had the day before.

"We really didn't want to wake you." Medli continued.

"It's fine." Link stretched out his sore limbs and stood up, letting Tetra's hand slip from his carefully. She seemed a bit hesitant to move - but she had a good reason. She felt pretty dizzy when she stood up and would rather stay where she was until she knew it was safe to stand again.

They ported the island around noon and found that it was heavily populated. Especially by merchants and sailors. It was a bit dusty and smelled of fish and other things that Link couldn't quite describe. Tetra's face turned pale green as they passed what looked to be a small fish market.

"Oh Link…" Tetra hissed, "can we hurry please?"

"What's wrong?" He asked, eyes narrowing in concern as she gripped his arm, almost cutting off the circulation.

"The smell is making me feel funny."

He couldn't quite figure that out. She'd never been bothered by strong scents before and he found it tolerable. Apparently she didn't because she was starting to gag.

"Tetra, what's wrong? I don't understand why-" She threw up, holding her stomach again like she had before when she was sick. He grabbed her carefully by the arm and led her away from the place. This was confusing.

-*-

"Tetra," Link began softly as they reached a quiet part of the island. It was populated a little but people were more quiet and all the shops were indoors. She looked into his eyes with tears rolling slowly down her cheeks. She was crying again, and he still wondered why she was so emotional lately.

"What's wrong? Please tell me what happened to make you so ill…"

"I…I don't know." She wiped her tears away with a sleeve and looked away from him after. She didn't feel like trying to express herself right then.

"Should I find a doctor?"

"Why?"

"Tetra, listen to me." Link gently cupped her chin in his palms, "I don't want to lose you and this could be serious."

"It's not serious." Tetra's chin quivered.

"Don't tell me that. You never cry like this, I want you to know that I'm going to have you do what I believe is in your best interest."

She broke free of his gentle touch and looked away, crossing her arms defiantly. She didn't plan on seeing a physician. She didn't have to. It was only a phase and a very annoying one at that. Her shoulders slumped and head bowed, eyes on focused on her toes.

"I don't want to hear what they have to say. I don't want them to do treatments on me if it's serious."

"Would you rather be sick forever?"

"Of course not!" She barked, "I'm not going to be sick forever! I just don't need help!"

Link stepped back, letting out a long sigh as he combed his hair back roughly - he was obviously irritated by her attitude. She was sniffling and looking angry at the same time. He wasn't sure what to make of this and he'd never seen her act so strangely!

"Tetra, listen to me." He began again, "I want you to see a doctor, and that's final."

"NO!" She stomped, chin quivering again, "I will not see a doctor!"

Link's face turned serious. He brought his arms around her waist and lifted her over his shoulder. She kicked and threw a bit of a fit before crying softly while she was taken to some strange person for examining. After exploring the town a bit Link finally found a small clinic. He let Tetra off his shoulder and caught her as she nearly collapsed by his side.

"Dizzy…" Tetra said breathlessly.

"It's okay." Link held her up as they entered the small building.

A doctor with brown and gray here peeked up over all the clutter on his desk and smiled.

"Why hullo!" He exclaimed, "How can I help you this day?"

Link was a bit shocked. The man was skinny and just a bit taller than him, he also had wrinkles and really big eyes - though not nosey looking. He was more a friendly face. Link felt welcomed and was glad that he found someone good to take care of his wife. His worries faded as he began to introduce himself.

"I'm Link, and this is my wife, Tetra."

"Ah, I'm Terin."

"Nice to meet you." Link shook the mans hand and resumed holding Tetra up. She still looked a little bit dazed.

"Now, I'll take the lady back and see what I can find. She looks a bit sick to me."

"Yeah, that's why we're-" Before Link could even finish Tetra had disappeared from his arm and a door was shut into another room.

_I guess I'll wait here…_ Link thought. He soon began to get a bit nervous and tapped his foot anxiously against the floor.

-*-

"Link insisted on coming." Tetra said as she was helped onto a comfortable bed and situated. She didn't feel nervous about being examined, still it was something new and she'd never really experienced it before.

"Well he sounds pretty smart."

"Yeah." She felt exasperated and wished that Link was with her to hold her hand. Then she gasped and nearly shot out of bed when she felt his cold fingers against her stomach. Since when? He didn't even ask politely!

"Ah! Hey!" She barked, snapping slightly when he was examining her.

"Sorry, I should have warned you."

"What are you trying to find anyway?"

Terin glanced at her momentarily then began to look her up and down, asking symptoms here and there. Though lately she'd denied every one of them.

"Honest?"

"I'm just fine…" She was feeling butterflies again and a slight tinge of nausea. It felt like her insides were turning against her again.

"You're pale. What do you feel right now?"

"Butterflies…I'm nauseous. I've been snapping a lot and earlier I couldn't even stand the smell of fish. Please tell me this thing isn't going to kill me." Tetra put a hand to her forehead and waited while the doctor continued to feel, until he got to a place just under her belly button. Surprising her greatly he began to laugh, and boy did he laugh!

"Well! I should say it probably won't kill you. You might be a bit uncomfortable but it's nothing to fret about."

"Huh? What is it?" Tetra started to sit up and pulled her top down, shivering slightly.

"Nothing too serious," He smiled from ear to ear, "you're just with child."

Tetra sat in complete silence and disbelief, heart pounding so hard she could literally hear it in the quiet. It didn't even register what he said to her and she couldn't quite gather the words spinning around her head.

"What?" She asked, voice shaking.

"Expecting, carrying a baby; pregnant." He was starting to sound like a dictionary!

Tetra felt a mixture of excitement, worry and joy. She wanted to cry but she forced the tears back and smiled.

"Oh…" she remembered something that had happened between she and Link about two months ago - but she never knew it would lead to this. Her life was complicated and busy for this time and she began to wonder how she could even tell Link about it!

"I guess you should tell your husband the good news?" Terin asked.

"Um…yes." Tetra climbed off the bed and bit her lower lip. Telling him was not what she planned to do. And good news? She wasn't so sure yet. She thanked the doctor and exited the room slowly with him behind her telling her what to do and what not to do.

"No healing potions. They seem to emit strange side effects."

"Yeah, okay." She stopped in her tracks when she saw that both Linebeck and Komali had shown up. They were laughing with Link and stopped when they saw her step out of the room.

Now she REALLY couldn't tell him!

"Tetra! What'd he say?"

"Nothing is wrong with me." She replied to Link, who looked a bit confused. It washed away and relief replaced what was confusion before.

"Oh! Good to know, it must be a bug then?"

"Yeah."

Terin frowned, he wondered why she wasn't telling him about it. Though it wasn't really his business. He bid them goodbye and went back to his desk.

As they were leaving all Tetra could think was how Link had said he wanted to wait a couple years before having children - if any at all. She walked behind Linebeck, Komali and Link and put a hand to her stomach.

_I hope he understands._

-*-

"I vote on resting here." Linebeck said as the group sat in a small inn - they were all eating dinner and Tetra seemed to be picking at her food more than gobbling it up. As hungry as she felt she couldn't eat with all of this on her mind. She wanted badly to tell Link but felt he'd react in a bad way.

Though she couldn't be sure. This was, after all, her first time being pregnant and it would be her first child with Link. It should be special but she couldn't picture him getting excited at this point.

"Yeah, it seems like a safe place. What do you think, Tetra?"

She heard her name and looked over to see Link speaking to her.

"It's fine." she answered, eyes slowly falling back to her full plate. She didn't feel so sick to her stomach anymore and certainly didn't feel the urge to grow angry for no apparent reason. It was as if finding out made her feel better - though she couldn't deny the butterflies in her stomach.

"You're being awfully quiet." Link pointed out.

"That's unusual." Linebeck leaned forward, "Hiding something?"

Tetra felt her heart pounding something awful at the question. She knew Linebeck was probably joking but she couldn't help but feel like she was being stared at by the whole room. As if they were all waiting for her to say something or admit her little secret.

"Linebeck, she's probably just tired." Link shoved his old partner back and chuckled.

"I was only joking. Don't take me so seriously."

Tetra sighed in relief. Link always came to her rescue even when he didn't know she needed rescuing. She took a bigger bite of her food and was surprised that her stomach seemed to accept it. Grinning she took another bite. It seemed to taste better than usual.

"Oh good! You're eating!" Medli giggled, "I haven't seen you eat that much in a while, feeling better?"

"Actually, I am." Tetra replied, glowing just a little bit at the thought. For now she wasn't really worried about what Link would say. She'd cross that bridge when they got there. Silently she finished eating and decided it was time that she excuse herself. She walked into the room that they were staying in for the night and laid in the bed. She closed her eyes and tried to picture what she and Link's baby would look like. Would it be a boy? A girl? Would it look more like Link or herself? She smiled at the thought. She opened her eyes suddenly and reminded herself that this child wasn't just any child.

It was theirs. It would be someone they'd have to take care of and raise all on their own. She felt her heart swell with joy and giggled.

"I'm…" She began, feeling slightly shaken, "I'm going to be a mother…" Feeling sort of worried about the circumstances of this new revelation she turned on the oil lantern next to her bed and sat up, leaning back against the pillows. Her mind scattered to make sense of this news. Was it true or was the doctor just trying to find some silly response to all her odd symptoms? She brought her knees up and hugged them close while trying to think of how to tell Link the news.

"Link, you're going to be a daddy!" She practiced, no that sounded too forward.

"I'm pregnant." She shook her head.

She groaned a little and got up, pacing the room and debating on whether or not she should tell him at all. Suddenly she stopped in her tracks when Medli came in, smiling.

"Hi, sorry to come in so suddenly. Link wanted me to check on you while he discusses some plans with Linebeck and Komali."

Tetra sat down, "It's okay." She wondered if she should tell Medli - but keep it a secret that she was even talking about herself. That was a good idea.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Tetra asked, inviting Medli to sit down.

"Of course!"

"What would you do if…uh…let's say you and Komali were together and had a baby or something, and you weren't sure how to tell him you were going to have one…how would you tell him?"

"Well, I'd do it in some special way. But the most important thing is to be honest. It's better to tell them before someone else finds out and tells before you do."

Tetra nodded in understanding.

"But why do you ask? Is something wrong?"

"Of course not. I'm just wondering-"

"You're pregnant aren't you?" Medli asked, more in an accusing tone.

Tetra didn't respond. She just looked down and sighed, "Link wants to wait a couple years. We talked about it a while back and I don't think he's changed his mind."

Medli grew concerned, "Tetra, you can't keep this from him. And you definitely can't tell him that I figured it out first. He'll feel left out of the loop for sure!"

She twiddled her thumbs and shook her head a bit, "I don't want to tell him yet. He's so occupied…"

"You know he always has time for you. Don't say that."

"I know he has time for me but is he so occupied with how things are right now that the idea of me having a child is horrifying?"

Medli had to consider this, she looked down and played with her long brown pony-tail. Then she looked at Tetra again and smiled, "It's better to come out with it. At least try and get it over with soon. I won't tell a soul, okay?"

"Thanks." She felt brokenhearted. Link should have been the first to know. But at the same time the advice was helpful and she was glad to have it. She knew right then that she had to tell Link - and soon.

-*-

"I win." Linebeck said, slamming his mug against the table.

"UNFAIR!" Link barked, "You cheated!"

Komali smirked, "Link, you're just too embarrassed to admit that you actually failed at a puzzle for once. You're horrible at this game."

"I am not! I'm just not focused tonight. How about another round?"

Medli leaned against the frame of the arch that led into the room where the men were all playing some sort of game. Apparently Link had just lost to Linebeck.

"I'm getting tired. But okay." Komali shuffled the board again and began to time Link when he began to work on the puzzle.

Linebeck was on the other side working on the same one.

"Go Link!" Komali clapped.

"Hey! I'm champion right now!" Linebeck retorted, glancing back and wasting just a bit of time on the puzzle.

"I don't really know you…" Komali made a bit of an embarrassed face and looked back at Link who was doing the puzzle right this time.

"Done!" Link shouted suddenly when Linebeck looked back he saw that Link had finished and it looked perfect!

"You cheated!"

"Nah, I just knew how to do it this time." Link nodded a bit, his arm crossed and smiling in triumph.

"Link, I thought you were discussing travel plans." Medli sat down with them, smirking as though she now had a little secret - two little secrets.

"Well we did and then we got bored and decided that we'd just head back to Outset."

"Oh? Sounds good to me. Should you go talk to Tetra?"

Link nodded, "Yeah, I've beat Linebeck so I'll go to bed."

"Rematch!"

"No!" Link walked away quickly before Linebeck could argue anymore.

-*-

Tetra was surprised when Link strolled into the room without even saying a word to her beforehand. She pretended like she hadn't been doing anything of interest when he came in besides curling up under the covers.

"Hey." Link smiled, sitting on the other side of the bed after removing his shirt. He laid down and looked right at her, pleased that she looked better than she had earlier that day.

"Hi." She felt that familiar chill roll up her spine and the butterflies accumulated in her stomach.

_It could be the baby…or I could be wrong._ She thought to herself. She wanted badly to tell Link the news but she wasn't sure how he'd respond.

"I'm so glad you're feeling better. You look like your old self." Link commented, playing with her hair a little bit as he rested against the pillow.

"Thanks…?" She sat up a little and crossed her arms over her abdomen, as if letting him see it would give everything away. Though she was as skinny as ever and it wasn't even noticeable.

"Feeling sick at all?"

"No, not anymore." She gulped, shivering again at the thought of being a mother in a few months. Link didn't see it coming.

"_I'd like to wait a couple more years before settling like that…"_

She groaned and flopped back, looking a little bit upset.

"Tetra? What's wrong?"

She glanced at him and then closed her eyes tightly in frustration, "I want to discuss this again."

"What?"

"Children."

"Tetra, we've been over this." Link stated calmly, "We have a lot going on right now, it's just not a good-"

"It may never be a good time, Link! The world is never safe, ever. There will always be something out there and we can't hide it. I don't want to wait that long."

Link was surprised, "But you didn't argue back then…"

"Well I'm arguing now! I know there will always be danger, danger didn't stop us from being born. And it sure didn't stop us from growing up and becoming who we are today! If anything it made us stronger." She began to cry, "I just don't want to wait."

"So you just want to try then? You want to have a baby?" Link asked, he didn't understand why she was in such a hurry.

"No."

"Okay, why? What's wrong with what we planned before?"

Tetra's chin quivered. This wasn't how she wanted to tell him. She just shook her head and tugged at her long, blond hair. She felt Link's eyes on her and glanced at him, his expression was one of concern - not anger.

"Nothing is. I am just saying that it'll always be dangerous out here. Two years from now - anything can happen." She confirmed.

"But right now we're being threatened. I don't want you to get pregnant and then end up in the middle of something serious. It could endanger you and the baby."

Her heart broke in half. Tears rolled down her cheeks as the memory of being told ran through her head. She let out a shaky sigh and laid back before rolling onto her side. She didn't want to talk about it anymore. She wanted to sleep.

Deep in her thoughts she fought herself on how to tell him.

_But…_ She thought, _I'm already pregnant…_

_To Be Continued…_


	6. After the Storm

**Okay here is what happened: I uploaded this chapter in a rush to Deviantart and then got a review and realized I did not upload it here. I got sick for a few days and EVERYTHING regarding writing and such totally slipped my mind until this moment. I AM SO SORRY! Here is the chapter, please forgive me.**

**-Gwen**

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It was raining when they departed from the island. Tetra wanted to visit the physician one more time but they didn't have any spare moments left. She looked back a little bit before feeling Link's gentle tug on her arm. It was time to go.

She couldn't say much to Link without feeling guilty about not telling him right away. Medli gave her concerned glances - practically asking if she'd said anything yet and Tetra would always shake her head and say no. She felt constantly like she'd committed a horrible crime against her own husband not saying word about the baby. And he had it written in his head that she didn't want one at the moment but was arguing with him about the wait.

Only she and Medli knew that it wasn't the case.

During the night while it was raining Tetra found relief in coming and standing at the edge of the ship with the rain pouring down heavily on her. It felt comfortable and soothing. It wiped away her worried thoughts. She took the time to whisper kind words to her unborn child and pray that she could tell Link soon, and hope that he would understand. While standing in the rain alone she couldn't help but notice a strange movement in the distance. Something flying far away from there.

"What are you doing out here?" Link's voice came from behind.

She looked behind and saw him approaching her with a hood over his head and another for her.

"Just thinking…" She said, glancing over the horizon again to see the object getting closer.

"You should go to the cabin."

"No, I'm fine here…" Thunder boomed and lightening flashed in the sky, throwing the young couple off in surprise. Link was now seeing what appeared to be something flying towards the ship. It dived into the water and sped closer and closer like a torpedo. Link's expression turned to one of horror as he felt the ship quake as the object crashed into it, turning sharply and going into the air again.

It was something Link hadn't seen in years.

"It's that six-eyed fish thing I told you about!" He shouted.

Tetra couldn't even reply, she was watching in horror as it prepared to attack again. Link was already dashing over to man the catapult. The rest of the crew aided him in a flash and Tetra stepped towards the door to their cabin.

"In the eyes!" She could hear Link shouting as they shot the catapult. Tetra got over her shock and dashed forward, preparing to launch the catapult while shouting to Link.

"Link, I have something to tell you!" She shouted, not sure how to tell him any other way. The best way to tell him was to tell him when he was distracted.

Link didn't respond for what felt like ages, he was yelling orders while trying to shoot the beast.

"I have something to tell you!" She repeated after launching another large bomb. She stopped briefly and held her stomach, butterflies at such a strange time.

"What is it?! It can't wait?" He shouted back, drenched and his medium length hair hanging nearly over his eyes.

"No! It can't wait, if we die then you'll never know!"

"We won't die!"

Tetra let out a few heavy breaths before launching the next bomb at the beast. It had crashed into the ship again and she was hanging on for dear life to one of the catapults. Link launched another - deciding that she'd probably figured it was better to wait until later.

"Link!"

He heard her voice again and groaned, still trying to catch the beast that was attacking the ship.

"What is it, Tetra?!" He shouted again over the wind and the rains and the sound of the beast diving into the water.

"I'm-" She was cut off suddenly when it crashed again. She lost her grip on the catapult and tripped backwards, watching as yet anther bomb flew into the air and into one of the beast's eyes.

She scrambled to get back up near him, taking his arm and forcing him to look her in the eyes.

"Link! Listen to me, this is important!"

"More important than fighting off something that could _kill_ us?!"

Tetra's chin quivered and she clenched her teeth before shouting it, finally getting it off her chest.

"I'm pregnant!"

Link stood perfectly still while everyone else was shooting bombs. All chaos was erupting around them but it felt like he'd gone completely deaf besides Tetra's words. The beast had been shot down behind them - though Link hadn't figured that out yet. Rain poured down on top of them and slowly turned into mist in the air. It felt humid and everyone was drenched from head to toe. Link watched as Tetra began to walk away - as if he hadn't heard her words, but he had.

"Tetra, wait!" He called, following after her. He took her by the arm and turned her around swiftly.

"Link…"

"When?" He asked.

"When did I find out or when it happened?" Tetra asked, looking completely serious in her expression. She let his grip on her arm linger for a long period of time.

"I…I guess I know when it happened. But when did you find out?"

"Three days ago." Tetra replied, placing a hand over her stomach. He followed her hand with his eyes - delaying on reaction. She wasn't sure if he was mad, happy…it was impossible to tell. He stood there in silence staring at her stomach like it was strange and foreign. He gulped - face turning bright red with realization.

"I'm such an idiot."

"No, Link! No you aren't." Tetra shook her head, "It was miscommunication…I was too scared to tell you."

"Why? Why would you be afraid to tell me?"

She stared at him, tilting her head to the side and waiting for him to realize why.

"Oh."

"You didn't want me to get pregnant, Link. Remember?"

"I do." His reply was a little under audible. She knew he felt bad for what he said. She also knew that he had no reason to and only said it blindly. There were no words between them. Link seemed to be thinking deeply about it.

"I wished you'd told me sooner. You didn't have to be afraid." He stated slowly, "I'm…speechless but you have no idea how fast my heart is beating right now."

She smiled at him, pressing an ear to his chest.

"Is that a good thing?" She asked, looking up at him out of the corner of her eye.

"I'd say it is." Link kissed the top of her head and brought his hand down to her stomach, "So…it's in there? Really?"

"Yup." She blushed a little bit, feeling a bit giggly suddenly. She place her hand over his and looked up at him.

"I can't feel it." He said abruptly, looking a bit upset. He felt a little more but there was nothing there.

"You probably won't feel anything for a few months…it's too small." Tetra explained, watching as his hand continued to feel around.

"How small?"

"About the size of a peanut. I'm not very far along."

Link looked disappointed, "Aw. How long till it moves?"

"Um…give it a couple months. I'll let you know when it does anything."

He kissed her, shivering slightly as they made their way to the cabin. He looked shocked but his face was brightening so she could tell that he was getting excited.

"Are you cold?" She asked.

"No, just the realization that I'll be a father in a few months is making me feel really jittery."

Tetra tilted her head up and kissed his chin, playing with his wet hair. The two of them had so much to discuss now and she had a feeling that things were going to get better.

-*-

Link rubbed Tetra's back gently as they stood at the railing of the ship. Tetra was sick again and this time Link knew exactly why. She grew rigid in his embrace and began to cry as she usually did when she threw up.

"So…annoying." Tetra muttered, pressing her head to the hard wood.

"I know. At least you know it'll go away soon." He told her, sympathizing though he couldn't quite comprehend what it felt like. All he could do was hope that she'd feel better soon. Though soon felt like ages away. There were several things that could happen in the time it took for a baby to grow. Tetra was only at the beginning. It felt like years away to him.

"Tetra?"

"Mmm…?"

Link continued to rub her back, "Do you know how far you are?"

"Two months…give or take." She replied, starting to feel better as she looked over the horizon. It felt good to not have that worry on her shoulders anymore. And it felt even better to have Link right at her side catering to her every whim - even though she'd rather be doing things herself. When she felt sick she wanted him to do things for her.

"So how much longer now?"

"I'd say about…seven months."

"SEVEN?! But…I've heard people say it goes by so _fast."_

"When you aren't asking how much longer every five seconds…" Tetra explained tiredly as she glanced back at him. She shivered a little and blushed as she felt his hands move up her spine slowly, it felt so good.

"I see. So I just have to pretend like you didn't tell me then?"

"Eh…I don't know about that." Her brows furrowed and a little smirk appeared on her face. This was bliss. Her stomach started to get over it's issue and little butterflies replaced the nausea. She put a hand to her abdomen and sighed with contentment.

Link saw her motion and grinned, "Can I feel it now?" He asked in excitement.

"No."

"Why? Is it moving?"

"You can't feel it from the outside. It just feels like butterflies right now…" She looked at him again, sort of wishing he'd go back to rubbing her back like he'd been doing previously. He was always asking if he could feel the baby moving but she always had to tell him no. He was very anxious.

"Butterflies? Like that feeling you get inside when you know good things are coming?"

"Yes." Tetra raised her brows a bit, "You ask many questions…"

"Yeah." He grinned mischievously and patted the top of her head, "I'm just a father-to-be wanting to learn things."

"Mmm…that's nice." She could see Outset ahead and sighed. They'd want to know how the journey went and hear about everything.

Along with a little something unexpected. She smirked. That would be a lot of fun. Every time she thought about the baby it made her get shivers. She never really thought she'd get pregnant and let alone with Link, who she thought at the beginning was just annoying. Now he was the father of their unborn and standing behind her making her feel all warm and _fuzzy._ A shiver rolled up her spine.

The small waves rocked the ship and Tetra's stomach lurched. She gagged again and felt Link holding her hair back for her.

"Ugh…again…" She bit back the urge to throw up but it wasn't helping. She leaned over and did it again. Her stomach cramped and she fell into Link's arms.

"Feeling better?" Link asked, looking down at her with a sympathetic smile.

"I guess…" She whispered, forcing herself back up. Half the ship knew that she was pregnant but no one pointed it out to her very often. They wouldn't even ask her if she needed help and that was to avoid getting snapped at. She leaned forward again and watched as they neared the island quickly. They'd be there around lunch time and Link's grandmother's elixir soup sounded very tempting. She pictured arriving and being embraced by everyone and then telling the story of their adventures.

"So how are we going to explain?" Link asked, interrupting her thoughts once again.

She shrugged, "It's hard announcing the first time around. But I think it'll be easier to tell them. What I'm worried about is being tackled by everyone if they all get excited."

Link laughed, "Yeah, that scares me."

"Nothing scares you." Tetra smiled, to which he could only turn red. There were only a few things that scared him.

Failing Tetra.

Getting sick.

And then family hugs. They were always all over him. He'd prefer handshakes and welcome home's over hugs. Unless it was her, who he didn't mind hugging now and again. He looked down to see that she was focused on the horizon again. He couldn't tell if she was just watching or feeling sick again.

"I'm hungry." Tetra said, breaking into his thoughts. Before he could answer they were docking at Outset and he knew that there would be a lot of food and celebration since they'd returned. Though with the news the celebrating just might get a bit wild.

-*-

"LINK!" Aryll screamed, jumping into his arms in a large hug. He put her down and stretched an arm out to Tetra, who took his hand. Unusually wobbly from the journey, she used Link as her support for the walk to his grandmothers.

"You are back sooner than we expected. Why didn't we receive word?" Aryll asked, walking beside them while everyone else was unloading the ship.

"It's been busy, we're sorry." Link patted her head and smiled.

"Ah. Oh, Tetra! You're so pale!"

She gave a weary smile, "I hadn't noticed."

Though after resting for a few moments at the house her color began to return. Looking in a mirror she finally realized that her hair was a mess. She'd been out of sorts for a few days and hadn't really taken any time to deal with it. Not that it mattered, there were more important things on her mind.

"You must be starving!" Link's grandmother announced as she set big bowls of soup on the table in front of Link and Tetra, "Tell us about the journey, how did it go?"

"Very confusing. We've not quite figured out the extent of the Forsaken Fortress mystery but we fought off a monster and visited a couple islands." Link explained, glancing at Tetra as if waiting to see if she'd continue. He was excited about telling the news though she didn't seem to be in any rush to announce yet.

"Ah, what kind of monster?" Aryll rested her head in her palms while waiting for Link to tell the story. He did in amazing detail until he got to the part that made both women gape.

"And that's when she told me-"

"Link, lets not go into that part." Tetra patted his arm, looking a little nervous.

"What part?" Aryll was now leaning even further on the table.

Link hadn't realized how far he'd gone in the story, that was the most interesting part to him but he felt strange announcing. He looked at Tetra and waited for her to say something. Finally she let out a little hiss and put down her spoon.

"I'm pregnant." She said, butterflies welled up in her stomach. She actually felt a bit excited to say those words. Especially since she thought she wouldn't be saying them for a couple years.

"What?!" Aryll broke into a giggling fit, "Really? You're having a baby?!"

Tetra only nodded, she felt weird getting all this attention.

"Oh!" Grandmother cried joyfully, "A great-grandchild!" She looked at Aryll in excitement and then at Link, who was blushing so badly his face looked crimson.

"Oh, Link! When did you find out?" She asked.

"A couple days ago, Tetra knew long before. She didn't tell me until I was in the middle of a battle."

Aryll was already halfway across the room picking up sewing things so she could make baby clothes.

"Boy? Girl?" She asked.

"We - We can't even know that yet!" Tetra exclaimed, "I just found out!"

"I'll make girl clothes! Never hurts to be prepared!" She giggled in excitement and got to work - not even finishing her food. Grandmother didn't seem to mind at all. She actually followed suit!

Link and Tetra exchanged glances. They felt extremely strange watching the two of them began to make little patterns. Link's grandmother was picking out greens and had already began working on what looked like a replica of Link's hat!

Aryll had picked up lace and pretty fabrics for a dress, Tetra presumed.

"Shouldn't we finish eating dinner?" Link asked, but it was no use, they were now going on and on about the baby. All the things the baby needed and even told Tetra it would be better if she ate a little more and worked a little less.

"Babies need lots of care, even before they are born." She stated happily.

Of course Link knew that Tetra wasn't' going to settle down for anything - she'd have to be chained first.

This was going to be a very long few months. Link could tell and he was dreading every second of it.

_To Be Continued…_


	7. Vision

**Listen readers!**

**Thanks to a little birdy (Zeldafan120) messaging me I decided to put up these long lost chapters. Now I can't say there will be an immediate update after chapter nine but I will certainly try. :3 Chapter ten... well has a couple of paragraphs but we'll see what happens. I appreciate that someone actually cared to ask though, it made me want to get back to work. **

**-Gwen**

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* * *

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The best time in the world for reading is late at night in the quiet. Medli, of course, knew this for a fact a she had her oil lantern lit and was reading a good book. It felt peaceful especially after such a unique chain of events.

The tension also seemed less after Tetra abruptly announced her pregnancy to Link not too long ago. She couldn't help but feel a bit excited about the news. She, herself, knew about it beforehand but chose to keep it secret as she knew that Link would probably feel left out. As it was, she was positive that all was well and that there was nothing to worry about.

But that wasn't the case.

Just as she was about to turn the page in her book a flash came over her. She barely was able to grasp it as the images of some sort of island came into view, a dense jungle-like area sped by and then a temple of sorts, it seemed large with brass-like pillars before the entrance. The door seemed to be covered in vines. At the last part of the vision she saw a glowing item of some kind, though she couldn't make it out.

It ended as fast as it began. Medli knew that this was a warning of some kind, maybe even a call. She wondered, however, what it was and where it was located. Instead of waiting around any longer she dropped her book and ran out of the room. As late as it was, she hated to wake up Tetra and Link but this matter couldn't be left alone. It had to be looked into immediately.

She tightly wrapped her woven shawl around her shoulders and ran barefoot through along the path leading to Tetra's and Link's home. The crisp, midnight air bit at her cheeks, making her feel even more unnerved.

Now Link and Tetra had been busy throughout the week discussing all the changes. And against Tetra's will, she'd been having knitting and sewing lessons, as much as she didn't like it. They were sound asleep in their bedroom at the hour Medli arrived. She hesitated on knocking, feeling guilty for having to wake up the sleeping couple.

Finally her hand could be heard tapping loudly against the wooden door. When they didn't respond the first time she knocked again. Listening intently, she waited until she heard shuffling inside. She felt sad that she'd woken them up but it was urgent and needed attention right away.

Moments later Tetra arrived at the door, holding her own blanket around her shoulders as she peeked out the door.

"Medli…?" She said while yawning, "…what are you doing here?"

"I am sorry I woke you, but it is very important."

Tetra blinked, eyes still riddled with sleep as she'd not gotten too much lately. Even so she forced her eyes to open and focus on what Medli was saying, though Medli had not said another word for at least five seconds.

"I had a vision. An island with a dense jungle, some sort of temple and a shining item of some kind. It came so fast and ended the same so it was hard to make out." Medli looked up from staring at the ground to see Link then standing behind Tetra.

"Come inside. It's too cold to be standing right here…" Link said, taking Tetra by the shoulders and pulling her gently inside. Medli followed but she could tell that the two of them were very tired.

Link lit the lantern on their small dining table and sat down, pulling Tetra close to him just as she yawned.

"Repeat what you said earlier…" Link said, still wiping the sleep out of his eyes.

Medli looked at them seriously and began to relay what she'd seen in her vision. After describing it to the best of her ability she leaned back and waited for them to respond.

"Do you think it's serious?" Tetra asked, now wide awake.

"I do. Besides, we had a crisis on our hands and I don't think we should leave it hanging." Medli replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"We shouldn't. We'll leave as soon as possible." Link said, and with that he was out of his chair and on his way back to the bedroom.

Two days later they'd loaded up the ship and were preparing to depart to the mysterious island. Now Link tried to seem relaxed but he was cautious deep down. Anything that involved a temple was almost never good as he'd seen several temples in his life time that were riddled with traps. He looked behind and saw Tetra conversing with Aryll. His main concern was keeping her out of danger, her and their unborn child.

"Link?"

Out of the blue Aryll was standing next to him and Tetra wasn't far behind either. They seemed to have something on their minds though he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was.

"What?" Link asked, slinging a brown bag over his shoulder.

"May I come along? I could probably be some help!" Aryll asked, her eyes were practically digging into him, pleading.

At first, Link wasn't quite sure if he wanted to have her along. But then he considered their past and how well she handled the traveling. She seemed to like it as well.

"I… I suppose so." Link smiled and was soon attacked in a hug.

"Thank you! I can't wait! I'll grab my bag right now, be right back." She ran back to the house.

Link shook his head and chuckled. He only wished that he knew what was ahead of them. In case, he packed every item and weapon he had to battle whatever came at them. As he was about to climb up to the ship he felt a hand pull at his shoulder.

"Hey Link?" Tetra said, swerving around him, her hand still on his shoulder.

"You have a request too?" He asked, only guessing but he assumed that she'd deny it.

"No, I just want to say that I love you." She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. Then she was surprised when he pulled her into an embrace and kissed her full on the mouth.

"I love you too." He caressed her cheek before making his way onto the ship.

She watched him go and sighed happily. Link had such a way about him, every time she thought of his name or how he smiled it gave her butterflies! That and their little baby. It still took her breath away to even think about that.

"I'm here!" Aryll called, she seemed cheerful as ever which also made Tetra smile.

"Good timing. Let's go." Tetra walked with Aryll and they met up with Link who was helping tie down some things before they set sail.

"Oh look, a stowaway!" Komali joked, leaning against the pole to the crows nest.

They'd sailed quite a ways before Komali even noticed that Aryll had tagged along for the trip, no one seemed to mind. As a matter of fact a lot of the pirates had missed her since the last time they spent time with her was on their very first voyage involving Link.

"I'm not a stowaway!" Aryll nudged him play fully, "I requested to come." She smiled and sat down near him. She'd been enjoying sea life as she had before.

Link walked by with Tetra. As always he seemed to be focused on her and was laughing about something they were talking about.

"Link, that's the silliest name I've ever heard!" Tetra leaned against the railing and gave him that look, the one that said that she thought he was being silly.

"You don't like it? Then what would you call him?"

"Her."

"It's a boy. I can tell." Link sighed as he followed suit, leaning against the railing right next to her.

"It's a girl, Link. We're calling her something that fits…picture it. She'll have big blue eyes and blond hair. She'll look more like you than me."

"Yeah, we'll call her Miri."

"Miri is such a dumb name." Tetra sighed in irritation.

Aryll walked over as she heard some of their conversation. They were discussing names and so early on too. She thought it was better to do that later, but what could she know? She'd never had children before.

"You should call her Aryll." She joked.

"No." Link sighed, "It's a nice thought but that's kind of…"

"What? It's my name!"

"What about Zelda?"

Tetra glared at him, "No way, that's a stupid idea. I won't have people picking on her and calling her 'Princess' or something. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

Link smirked, "Fine, let's say it's a boy. We could call him Daphnes."

"No, I won't have a son of mine going around with that name. It's so old fashioned." She crossed her arms defiantly and raised her brows, feeling she had some sort of advantage.

"And it's not a boy." Tetra smiled, "Maternal instinct tells me so."

"What maternal instinct? When did you turn into an expert on that?" Link snorted, he found it odd that she was suddenly so smart on the subject.

"When I became pregnant, dummy!" She elbowed him in the ribs, "Suddenly I became smarter than you, face facts please."

"_Face facts please._" Link mimicked.

"Ugh, you're such a pain in the butt, Link! Always so stinking complicated!" She was about to walk away when there was a bang. The ship jolted back sharply, and so sharply that Tetra fell to her side and slid back.

Link ran to her side, lifting her up carefully, "You're alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She breathed before standing and leaning against him to keep her balance. After gathering her bearings she went forward, trying to see exactly what they hit, or _what_ hit them!

"Seahats!" Medli called from her place on the crows nest.

"Figures." Link mumbled, rushing to supply to pick up his arrows and bow. He could take them down easily as he'd fought several over his time of sailing and adventuring. It was one thing he did hate about uncharted islands though, they were always surrounded by gyorgs and seahats.

"Link? What are you doing?" Tetra called, though she knew he was going to do something daring, as he often did. He ran up and aimed quickly before the seahat could ram the ship again. He could already see that there was some slight damage done to the side.

"Shoot!" One of the pirates was shouting.

"Not yet…" Link whispered, he knew the right timing. He wanted to get it right in the eye. He held the bow and arrow in his arms, strong and ready. He could see it preparing to ram and let go, hearing the twang of the string as the arrow disappeared from view. He waited and watched as it hit the seahat in the eye. The beast struggled for a moment before sinking into the ocean.

To the left he could see another preparing to ram the ship. He ran down the steps and took the left side where he swiftly pulled out another arrow. He was ready to shoot, it wouldn't be long.

Another twang and the arrow whizzed away, landing directly in the eye of the beast.

As the ship continued to sail he'd already attacked eight of them and soon they were out of sight.

"We must be getting close. Uncharted islands are always riddled with monsters." Link said as he wrapped his arm around Tetra's shoulder.

"There is an island ahead." Komali pointed out, his hands crossed over his chest as he look over the horizon.

"If I'm right that's our destination. We'll dock there and check it out." Link said before he looked down at Tetra, taking her hand gently in his.

"You aren't hurt are you?"

"No, I'm fine." She smiled, "I'm really curious about this island. I can't wait to get on it!" She rubbed her hands together eagerly after pulling out of Link's embrace.

Link's eyes held uncertainty as he looked at her. He worried that she'd get hurt or get hurt to the point that the baby would hurt! But he couldn't be sure and he didn't want to deny her right to come.

"I…I guess." Link mumbled, he still felt uncertain of what would lie inside that temple.

When they arrived at the island Tetra was the first off with Link following close behind. He was trying to keep tabs on her because he'd never been to this place and there was no telling what could be hiding in the midst of trees ahead.

"Link, stop being so cautious! Everything is going to be just fine." Tetra kissed his cheek and linked her arm to his so they could walk together. Everyone else waited at the ship in hopes that this was the right island and that they might find some clues that would help them with the Forsaken Fortress dilemma.

Little bits of sun peaked through the trees that towered Link and Tetra.

"_You'll never get in…" _a voice whispered from Link's gossip stone.

"_You'll both die… just wait and see."_

Link tuned it out. His eyes focused forward as they trekked through the jungle, which seemed to be growing more and more dense.

"Did you hear the voice?" Link asked Tetra, hoping to make some sort of conversation. He wasn't sure how long it would be before they found the temple.

"What voice?" Tetra asked.

Link began to wonder if he was the only one who could hear it. It had come loud enough, he was sure anyone could hear it! But Tetra hadn't heard a thing. Soon they stumbled upon what appeared to be large brass pillars. Ahead of that there was a building with doors covered in vines. It was just as Medli had described.

"How do we get in there?" Tetra asked, she let go of Link's arm and ran towards the door.

"I'm not sure…" Link said after he caught up. He looked around a little bit before deciding to use his sword to tear away the vines.

He swiped it out and slashed it against the vines around the door. He slashed three or four times before they finally fell away, literally shriveling up when they hit the ground.

"Woah…" Tetra stared down for a moment before she heard the door sliding open slowly. Link was pushing it, his shoulder against the hard stone and his feet digging into the ground.

"I can help!" Tetra said. She barely had her hands against the stone when Link shook his head adamantly. He finished opening the door alone and headed inside with Tetra in tow.

The place appeared to be covered in dust, but what was more unnerving where the vines that seemed to be devouring the inside.

"This is something." Tetra let out a slight laugh, "It's been ages since I had this kind of adventure."

"It'll probably be the last too. The baby comes first." Link sighed, he knew he'd get on her nerves with his protectiveness.

Tetra shrugged, "Link, I love our baby. Do you _really_ think I'd put our little one in danger?" She asked, giving him that smirk that she often did when she had an upper advantage.

"Maybe."

"Link!" She whined.

He shrugged it off and continued to walk. There was a large pedestal in the middle of the room surrounded by grains of sand. A dim sort of light was over it leaving Link to think that it was important. But for now he passed it by and went to the first door that caught his eye. After pushing that door open they entered a corridor. It was covered in so many vines that they had to walk more carefully or they'd trip. At the end of the corridor Link slashed away some of the vines on the door and pushed it open.

"Link…this room is darker." Tetra said, gripping his arm. She wasn't afraid, she was just looking before he stepped in any further. There was something eerie about that room.

"If there is anything in here you know I'll fight it off." Link said, stubborn.

They trekked further into the room. It was a dome like space and made Link sure that something was going to pop out and attack them. And of course, he couldn't have been more correct.

It wasn't there a moment ago. A giant pill bug-like monster appeared from nowhere. It was huge and was already preparing to charge! His eyes fell on Link, just as though it'd been told to target him! It took a moment for Link to notice that Tetra was clinging to him in complete awe. And when he noticed that the bug was preparing to charge he jolted, taking her by the arms and pushing her.

"MOVE!" He barked, but it was almost too late. After pushing her away he looked back. The monster was right before his eyes and seconds later he was being rammed and launched into a wall. He impacted the wall with a thud that could make anyone's ears ring. He slid to the floor where his eyes drifted shut. He'd lost consciousness.

"L-Link?" Tetra gasped. The monster was preparing to charge again. She ran over to Link and took his sword.

"I can do this…" She said, eyes narrowing with determination.

When the bug charged at her she dashed in another direction, watching as it rammed itself into the wall. It tipped over on it's back. Tetra managed to climb on top of it and slash it's stomach. She jumped off and ran towards a wall, watching as it curled up and prepared to attack again.

"Ugh, you monsters never die easy!" She grumbled, standing stock still while she waited for it to charge again. When it did she repeated what she'd done earlier came back around after it tipped and stabbed it. That time it seemed to twitch a little, acting like it was going to die. Tetra knew it was fake. She jumped off and ran for another wall, while waiting for the charge she felt lightheaded, her stomach was overwhelmed with butterflies. She didn't let it distract her for long. She ran to the side again when it came close to ramming her. Her reaction was slow, fatigue growing slowly. She came close to getting hit that time.

The next climb was harder, she felt like she was going to be sick. Shaking off the feeling she stabbed the monster and jumped off, nearly losing her footing that time. It didn't roll back up. It shriveled and died.

Tetra fell to her knees for a moment, breathing tiredly. She put a hand on her abdomen and closed her eyes, wondering if she may have overdone it.

"Sorry…" She whispered to her unborn child, "I won't do it again…" She forced herself back up, wobbling with every step. She felt exhausted like never before. After getting over to Link she nudged him awake.

"L-Link…" She whispered.

His eyes fluttered open. For a moment he saw double and then his vision cleared. He could see Tetra standing over him. Her hair was a mess and she looked like she'd just come out of a scuffle!

"Tetra?" Link's first word came a bit louder than intended, "What happened?"

"I fought it…" She almost lost her balance again but Link was up and holding her. His head throbbed incessantly but he ignored it.

"You look exhausted. Let's get out of here. Lean on me, okay?" Link wrapped his arm around her shoulder. As they were exiting they could see all the vines shriveling up and the temple becoming more clean and different.

They entered the main hall once again where the pedestal was located. All the sand was scattered and suddenly launched at Link. For a while since their journey began he had the old hourglass connected to his belt. As if the sand knew exactly who he was, it curled around him before entering the hourglass.

"Sand of hours… this is why our enemy didn't want us in here."

"Oh…" Tetra rested her head against his chest as he guided her out of the temple.

They made it back to the ship not long after leaving the temple. Link kept his arm around Tetra as they climbed on. Her hand gripped his tightly as she was forcing herself to stay on her feet.

"You're back!" Aryll called, "Link? What happened?" She asked, looking at her brother.

Blood was running down the side of his face. He hadn't noticed that he was bleeding after getting knocked into the wall.

"It's nothing. Tetra-" He felt her become heavier in his arms and looked down. She'd collapsed and it was no wonder!

"What happened, can you tell us?" Medli asked, appearing behind Aryll.

Link relayed what he had seen, though most of it was cut out after he'd lost consciousness.

"Tetra said she fought it." Link finished.

"She must have. She's fatigued beyond words." Medli frowned and went to help Link lay her in bed.

"I worry, had you not brought her if you'd be dead…" She stated as they were getting Tetra settled in.

"What?" Link asked.

"That monster could have killed you had she not taken over. You should thank her when she wakes up. Also, you should try to keep her out of trouble. She is carrying a baby after all."

Link nodded slowly and watched as Medli left the room. He sat down at the edge of the bed and held Tetra's hand, kissing it lovingly.

"Thank you, Tetra. Next time though, let me fight. Let me protect you. I do not want to fail you again…I love you."

_To Be Continued…_


	8. Going Back

**Another chapter. Short chapter is short... well to me anyway. It's kind of rough because I was losing inspiration and I should just edit all of them but the newer chapters (past chapter nine) should be about ten times better but I won't make any promises.**

**-Gwen**

* * *

"_You think you've won the battle…"_

_Darkness swept over Link. It made him feel blind. The feeling was evil and it threw a sickening chill up his spine._

"_But you will never win. I will overtake the seas, you will not be able to fight against the chaos. You…" The voice stopped for a moment to let out a laugh, "…will crumble under my power." _

Link woke up with a bit of a start. He felt sweat pouring down his face and shivered. It felt cold to him that morning. Tetra was sitting at a table reading something. Her hair was down over her face and her back hunched a little bit.

Link walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders gently, a smile going across his face. He didn't want her to know about the dream yet so he kept it to himself.

"Good morning." He kissed the top of her head lovingly.

"Oh…" She moved a little, breaking out of her deep concentration to stretch and look at him. It felt like she hadn't moved in a long while.

"Stiff?" Link asked, beginning to massage little circles into her shoulders. He could tell that she'd been sitting there for quite some time.

"Link…" Tetra sighed and soon let him keep going, "I couldn't sleep and I've not felt well today…"

"It's still early."

She smiled a bit and closed the book she was reading. Now she was distracted with his attention and it felt nice. She leaned her head back against his stomach and closed her eyes.

"I was thinking," Link began, "we should go back to the Forsaken Fortress."

Tetra felt her heart drop write down into her stomach at the sound of those words. Link saying something like that and so soon did not sit well on her gut.

"Wha? Link! What are you thinking?" She asked, pulling away from his massage to get up and look at him. She felt her face burning up and tried not to throw some sort of fit.

"It's too soon!" She barked, "You've just found sand of hours, why now?"

"Because I feel confident that I can defeat him!"

Tetra's eyes nearly popped out of her head, "Don't be stupid! You know you didn't…then again, you did. You barely even had a weapon when you went after your sister!"

"Yeah well, I thought I could do it! And I did too, after-"

"After you traveled across the ocean gathering what you needed. Link, this is barely enough time to completely battle something we know nothing about."

"She's right."

Both of them turned at their heels to see Medli standing in the doorway, her hair was down over her shoulders and her eyes completely serious.

"I'm warning you, Link. Going to the fortress right now is possibly the stupidest move you could ever make. If you do it you are risking yourself. It's not a move you want to make."

The silence between them was filled with tension. A thick air was weighing them all and even Tetra looked like she was ready to explode. Link's actions were becoming more rash and she was beginning to wonder if he was so bent on protecting her that he was willing to risk it all to try and end the war before it even began.

"We're going. I can do this, not only am I older but I am a stronger fighter now."

Both girls exchanged glances. Medli's was sorrow filled while Tetra's was more confused and angry than she'd ever been. She turned her back to Medli and went back to bed.

"Link…you idiot." She whimpered, "_I hope you know what you're doing…"_

The fogs were so dense around the fortress that it was almost impossible to tell how close or far away it was.

"_That's right…" _The voice whispered, "_Come and fight me…"_

Link looked at the gossip stone in his hand. Ever since he lost his to the enemy he'd been using Tetra's. For that reason he always heard the enemy, he always heard the voices coming through the stone. His body always got chills at the sound.

"Link, I'm telling you," Medli came up behind him, Tetra wasn't far behind at that point. "this is not going to end well."

"Even if it doesn't, I'm going to end this before it begins."

Tetra's face was downcast, she wasn't even looking at him. Just barely.

Finally they could see the fortress in view. Link left the ship and swam to shore. The darkness was eerie and filled with uncertainty. He made his way to the stairs, hourglass hanging from his belt. In a sense, he could tell that something was lurking, but he could never be sure what was around the corner.

Finally, he made it to stage two, where he'd been before nearly succumbing to the magic. His eyes scanned the area for movement.

"You came." A voice said, the one that he'd heard before. It had been a long time since he'd seen the figure. It stood in the haze where he squinted to try and make out the shape.

"I want to end this." Link said, voice full of authority.

"Well…before you do," The figure stepped forward, cloak blowing with the deathly breeze that encircled him. "How about we have a proper meeting first. I…"

Link watched as the man's face came into view. He had white hair, gray skin and red and yellow colored eyes. His sword was large and jagged.

"…am Arkayne."

Link stood in silence. As he was trying to make sense of this he felt the being's presence even closer. The darkness almost made it impossible to focus on Arkayne's almost air-like movements.

"Now, I know what you are thinking… that you can waltz in and end this battle before it begins - well you are the most naïve person I have ever met."

"I've defeated bigger things!" Link barked, preparing to pull his sword out. A sudden grasp on his wrist prevented him from making the move. Arkyane tugged his arm and pulled it harshly, twisting it. Link refused to even let out a shout, it hurt insanely but he was stronger than the pain.

"I just love it when you _courageous _people come along and try to bring me down before my plans have even taken effect. I will crush you just as simply as I step on any other _bug!"_

Managing to free his arm he jumped back and unsheathed his sword. He felt a pain shoot up through the limb but ignored it with all his being.

"Well, feisty aren't we? Alright _Link_, if it is a fight you want…" He raised his blade, "…it is a fight you shall have."

Link raised his voice with unknown intensity as he sprinted towards Arkyane. Just as he was about to jump attack, Arkyane teleported behind him and knocked him to the ground, slashing his sword with the hilt and hitting the side of Link's head. The cracking sound could be heard and Link's pained grunts came next.

"Fool!" Arkyane barked, looking down at Link's form, "You think you can just attack me like that? You're wrong!"

Link rolled before the sword could come down on top of him. He then scrambled to his feet, ran around and sliced his enemy's back - but barely.

Arkyane swiftly dodged and flicked his wrist, his sword making a neat cut on Link's right thigh! Link bit back a scream, not wanting to give his enemy the satisfaction of knowing he was in pain.

"Give it up!" Arkyane shouted, his blooded blade moving in to stab his victim, "No matter what you do or plan, I'm always two steps ahead of you!"

Link managed to dodge, though just barely, as he tried to run with his injured leg. For the first time in a long time, he realized he was going to die.

But then, bleeding heavily and staggering to his feet once again he remembered important things. Things that meant the world to him.

"_Link…" _Tetra's face came to mind, her voice was so clear.

And then another phrase that made his heart race, two strong words that changed his life.

"_I'm pregnant."_

"What am I doing here?" Link breathed, suddenly getting sliced in the side. Blood was drenching his tunic by then, running down his leg and side.

"Weakling!" Arkyane barked.

Link gathered his strength, for Tetra and for his unborn child. His body felt heavy as he clenched his sword tightly in his fist. He turned sharply and attacked fiercely. With all that he had in him, with all the strength he could muster.

"LINK!"

Tetra was close by, her face paled considerably as she raised her bow. Arkayne witnessed this event, the change. When he saw what arrows she was using he made himself scarce.

The dark surroundings seemed brighter with the light arrows so close. Tetra was soaking wet from head to toe, her hair was down over her shoulders, bangs nearly covering her blue eyes. Her mouth was agape and her chest was raising and falling slowly as the bow and arrow slipped from her hands. Her body slowly descended to the ground, hair falling over her arms.

And when Tetra fell…it felt like the whole world fell. It felt like he'd just watched the whole world crash right in front of him. He staggered to his feet, dragging his almost mangled leg with him. His arm dangled lifelessly, dislocated from his shoulder. He was bleeding heavily as he struggled to get to her. Her body was soon in his good arm. He lifted her with all the strength he could muster, almost falling to the hard, stone surface of the platform. He bared his teeth together in determination.

_Tetra… I'll protect you. _

Stumbling down the stairs slightly, he managed to get to the water and wait for Komali and Medli to come get them. Link sat there holding her in his good arm, the other was rested, painfully, at his side. He could barely even move his fingers.

Tetra stirred just barely in his embrace and opened her eyes. His face was horribly bruised and the side of his head was bleeding. He looked awfully pale, more than she remembered him ever being.

"Link…the baby? Is the baby alright?"

He was surprised at her question, unable to quite decipher it. He didn't know for certain if their baby was alive or dead.

"I don't know."

Back at the ship in the light of the lanterns Tetra could see that Link's wounds were serious. His arm was completely dislocated from his shoulder, broken. He was bleeding and bruised in more than one place to the point of being completely weak.

"Oh Link…" Tetra whispered, wetting a rag and cleaning the gashes. She felt guilty in some way but knew it was his action that caused it.

And yet…

She couldn't scold him for it. She felt his punishment was bad enough. When Medli appeared in the room she felt her breath catch in her throat. Link was worse than she thought. And then she knew it was better to hold her tongue than to throw 'I told you so' in his face. She inched her way closer and began to help Tetra clean Link's wounds.

"Oh…" She hissed, finding the long cut on his side. She finished removing his shirt and then pressed the cool cloth to the bleeding place.

"Tetra?" Link began, reaching for Tetra's hand. She started to take it but it went in a different direction, pressing against her stomach.

"She's okay…" he whispered, "_…she's strong."_

Tetra felt her face begin to burn. Was he saying this in his delirium or was he serious? Did he know if their baby was okay? She grabbed his hand with both of hers, red from his blood. It almost felt like he was being for real but she couldn't be sure.

"Save your strength…" Tetra replied, moving Link's hand away from her abdomen and back to the bed. She felt like choking back her tears but they forced themselves. It was unlike her to cry this way but Link was wounded.

"Tetra, you fainted as well. You should rest."

She looked up to confirm that it was, in fact, Medli speaking to her. But she didn't answer, she looked back at Link who had fallen asleep, his breathing coming slow and steady with his chest rising and falling peacefully despite the trauma of that evenings events. Medli soon left them in peace and she sat by his side, caressing the back of his hand with her thumb. She knew that he was just trying to do what he felt was right. She didn't want to scold him when he woke up. When he was better things would also get better.

"I'm so sorry." Link whispered.

"Don't speak…just rest." Tetra sighed as she dabbed a wet cloth over the cut on his face. He winced just a little bit at the touch before staring up at her.

"I endangered you, I'm so sorry."

"Link, please. We all know what you wanted. Sometimes things just don't go the way you planned them." She choked, trying not to get frustrated with his stubbornness. She knew he wasn't in any condition to argue and neither was she.

"Why… when I vowed to protect you do you always come to my aid? I should have been there for you better." Link said, his voice tired.

"You did…you got me to safety even in your condition. Link you've done so much for me." Tetra replied softly, she touched his cheek gently and Link brought his good hand up to touch hers.

"You know we all fail sometimes, but we come out strong in the end." She whispered, "Please, don't work too hard." She leaned down and kissed him gently on the mouth, finding that it made her feel good inside. She felt butterflies.

His good arm came up as he ran his fingers through her messy hair. He wanted her to know that he was there no matter what the circumstance.


	9. Healing

**Another sporadic chapter, also very old. Anyway, this reveals the gender and name of the baby. :3 Just so you know! I couldn't wait. ENJOY.**

**-Gwen**

* * *

"_Link…"_

The ray of the sunlight in the room did nothing to stir Link from his fevered sleep. His body would tense and shiver and then tense again, teeth chattering without fail. Tetra didn't sleep but sometimes she would. But then she'd wake up to Link struggling and then have to try and break the fever - it was almost pointless to try. He never responded to her words and it had been at least three days since he'd made any contact - the last few things he told her were almost unfathomable. She sighed wearily and put a hand to his forehead. His mouth opened to take in a breath but instead he let out a nasty cough.

"Please don't get sick…" She whispered.

His fever had spiked. Medli had told her he might be ill for a while…

Although she'd not expected this.

His body shuddered and he let out a loud heave, a dry cough that sounded painful. She pulled off his sheets, moving his clothing to check his wounds. She'd barely even gotten his tunic up when Medli appeared in the cabin.

"Good morning, Tetra." She said, trying to sound cheerful.

The atmosphere in the cabin was anything but. The sunlight didn't even seem to make things better and it had been raining for at least two days. The crew was quite happy to see the sunlight coming in, but at the same time their Tetra and her husband were not so well.

Tetra waved at Medli in a dismissive manner and turned back to Link, who was acting like he was going to be sick. The fever was getting to him in a lot of different ways. Sometimes he'd have nightmares, fever induced. Sometimes he'd gag and dry heave, sick from his body working overtime to kill the infections from his wounds. They hadn't docked in a while and were running a tad low on certain supplies. Link's bandages needed to be replaced as well. She sighed, it was pointless to think of these things. She laid a hand on her stomach, feeling a slight change there, she still had a bit of morning sickness but nothing too serious. What was more overwhelming was her butterflies. Deep down it seemed like a sign that their baby was alright.

"Would you like me to check his wounds?" Medli asked, having not spoken in the last five minutes.

"I was about to check them." Tetra answered.

"I should, you look pale. Maybe you should rest a little bit? Not sleeping isn't good for the baby."

The blond pirate stood up and went to her mirror, throwing her hair up in a bun. She needed that to at least look a little bit alive. It took her a few moments to think of something to say to Medli, who was already well at work removing the bloodied bandages from Link's wounds.

Medli hissed a little bit when she saw the gash at Link's side. Then she wished she hadn't because she'd peaked Tetra's curiosity.

"It's nothing, really. I'll clean it and put the bandages back on." She said, hurrying to get the supplies out of a bag she'd brought with her.

But it was too late. Tetra spotted the wound and gasped, her eyes were wide with shock and dismay.

"I thought it was going to get better!" She barked.

"It is!" Medli stood up, "Don't panic right now, it's too early to panic!"

Tetra turned away angrily, putting her index fingers to her temples. She was trying not to panic, but the wound looked worse than before. There was no way to describe what it looked like.

"Please don't stress, Tetra. I mean…he's fighting. He won't let go so easily, you know?" She tried to make it sound better but in all reality it wasn't. It seemed impossible.

"Fighting? Medli he's been sick for three days! He won't talk, he's constantly gagging on something that doesn't exist and he's in pain. I can't stand to see him in pain!"

The Rito girl sat back down and looked at Link's wounds again, all she could do was clean it and hope for the best. She got to work, knowing he'd be uncomfortable with her touching him like that, trying to get the dried blood off and anything else that was liable to make the infection worse. Tetra came back over and held his hand, wiping sweat from his brow as she watched Medli work.

"I'm sorry, Link." She said, "I'm not trying to hurt you."

Tetra sat for a really long time just thinking about Link. She watched as his brows furrowed deep and his expression turned from peace to pain in an instant. She heard the door creak open and saw Linebeck peak his head in. She hadn't seen him in a while since he was always coming and going. She supposed he found a moment to board the ship.

"Yes?"

He moved his finger, motioning for her to come out. It took her a few minutes to really get up but when she did she was able to leave the cabin - but only for a moment.

"What is it?" She asked, her voice a little sharp from the agitation of seeing how terrible Link's wounds were.

"You hadn't noticed that the ship was stopped?"

"Stopped?" Her voice was slightly strained. She guessed, without Link at her side, it was her job to find out these things. She'd kind of gotten used to working with Link each day. He was about to say something else but she pushed past him a bit and went to the wheel of the ship.

"What's going on?" She asked, hands firmly set to her hips.

"There's something in the way. There is no way we'll be able to get by this." Gonzo said, his eyes wandering to the horizon.

"And how long have we been settled here? Who said you could drop anchor?"

"Would you rather destroy the ship?"

Her eyebrows lifted and she went to the edge, peering over the side and to the north where the ship was still facing.

"Woah…"

Tetra had never seen a monster like that in my whole entire life. It was eerie and staring up from under the water with a deep red and yellow colored eye. It was almost like it was beckoning them forward.

"Turn the ship around, raise anchor." She said, stepping away from the edge and watching forward again, her eyes didn't really ever leave the beast. She had no idea where it even came from. But she knew that they wouldn't be able to get by it so easily without Link's help. A loud groan escaped her and she turned away from everyone without looking back.

"Tetra."

She recognized the voice as Aryll's. They hadn't spoken recently and she'd been very adamant on not letting Link's little sister into see him.

"Yes?" Tetra turned to face her sister-in-law. She could see worry lining her eyes quite deeply in fact. Her hands were folded together in front of her.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

The words seemed to come more as a comfort than Tetra could have ever imagined. Her eyes softened, frustration slowly fading away.

"I don't know." Tetra's shoulders sagged with the weight of the whole world on them. She just wanted to lay down and pretend like it was a nightmare. But it was really happening.

"Please let me do something… for your? Or even Link?"

Link…

Tetra glanced away briefly, trying to think of a way Aryll could help.

"I feel useless."

She looked back at the younger blond and smiled sympathetically, "Alright."

Aryll looked up with a sparkle in her eye, "Really? What can I do?"

"He doesn't look good." Aryll whispered, a tear dripping down her cheek. She'd been asleep the night Link had been brought back aboard the ship and thus far no one had let her see him until that moment.

Tetra had decided it was time and she and Medli needed help caring for him anyway.

"I know." Tetra tucked a stray hair behind her ear and bent over Link to kiss his forehead, beaded with sweat. Her hand raked through his messy, blond hair and stalled for a second.

"Is something wrong?"

"No." She replied, "I'm just thinking."

Regretfully, she pulled her hand away and clasped them both together in front of her while watching Link's sleeping face. He hadn't even opened his eyes. Tetra hadn't noticed that both Aryll and Medli left, obviously wanting to give her some alone time. She stared down at his still form for a long while before sitting at the edge of the bed.

"Link… you can't sleep forever." She gently grazed his chest and leaned down to give him yet another kiss. Then she took his hand and gently put it against her abdomen, "We have to work together…" She fought back some tears and looked down, feeling his fingers move a little bit. She let out a small gasp and then looked at his face. His eyes were open, tired, but open and he was smiling just a little bit.

"Oh…" She grinned, "You're awake!" She wanted to hug him tightly but refrained, instead leaning to give him another kiss.

"I'm awake…" He held her hand with his good arm and gazed at her, his expression was slightly unreadable but he seemed to be happy.

"How are you feeling?"

"Sore." He started to move but Tetra quickly pushed him back to the pillow.

"Not yet, stay still. You have a bit to go yet before you can do any moving."

He nodded but she knew that he wouldn't like being holed up in a room for too long.

"I'm really sorry."

She laid down next to him, getting as close to his face as she could, "Don't apologize. You've been punished enough."

"But I made a stupid mistake."

She stopped rubbing his arm to check his fever. There were small traces of it but nothing that she had to be panicked about.

"I know, we all make really stupid mistakes. But we learn from them too so please forgive yourself for it. Everyone else has already forgiven you."

His eyes closed and he let out a shaky breath, "I'll try. It'll be a while before I can get over the fact that I put you in danger."

"We put ourselves in danger everyday."

"But the…"

"Shh," She put her finger to his lips, "the baby is fine."

His eyes held some worry but it was typical, he had every right in the world to be worried about their baby.

"See… it'll be okay."

Finally he let out a bit of a sigh, letting her know that he was at ease to some extent.

"Just focus on getting well again. And thank you for waking up."

Link chuckled a slight, his face pulling a smile, "I will. I have to, for you and…"

"And?" Tetra giggled.

"Miska."

Her heart gave a light tug, "Miska?"

"Our baby. Miska." Link pressed his hand to Tetra's belly firmly, "I know I can't feel her yet but… I have a feeling."

"I like the name. It's a…"

"A girls name." Link nodded.

"We can't know the gender yet… we won't even know until-"

"But I think it'll be a girl. And she'll be a fighter. Just like you." Link reached up to caress Tetra's cheek.

She couldn't help but smile at him, his words made her heart skip beats and flutter all over. He was the only one who could do that to her too.

"Miska…" She whispered, "What a beautiful name."

_To Be Continued…_


	10. Betrayal

**Hey guys, it's been so long since I updated this story and I'm so sorry! There's been a lot of distractions but I think I'm back on track now! I can't believe how long it took me to do this! Thank you all for being so patient with me and persistent too!**

**-Gwen**

**

* * *

**

Tetra scrambled up the stairs not prepared to be bathed in sunlight brighter than she'd ever seen it before. Or maybe it was the same as always and her eyes were just sensitive from being below deck with Link for the past two weeks. Tetra lifted her arm to shield her eyes from the bright, blaring light making itself welcome in the cabin.

"You should be resting, what are you doing gallivanting already?" She said, climbing the last two steps and grabbing Link's left arm, his right was in a cast.

"I'm fine, I've taken time to heal and I think it's time to get back to work. Don't you?"

Tetra gaped at him just a little bit, blinking against the sunlight until she got used to it. But by then Link had already begun going around the ship and barking orders. They hadn't been on land in a few days and they were in need of supplies. Tetra sighed and shook her head with a bit of a smirk on her face; that was the Link she knew and loved. Bold, strong and just a little hard headed. But Tetra could win against that, for she was a lot more stubborn than he was. Just then a small voice pulled her out of her thoughts, calling her name.

It was Aryll. The girl had been more than quiet lately but she had a smile on her face this time around and that could only make Tetra smile in response.

"Aryll, are you alright?" She asked as she decided to put all her thoughts aside for later.

"I'm fine," Aryll replied, "I'm just so happy to see Link back to normal, it was hard seeing him cooped up and so sick like that…"

Tetra nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I am too. But, I'm still worried that he'll make a rash decision again… I feel like I have no control over what he does and that really bothers me." She crossed her arms and watched Link at work. He was talking to Komali and Medli while tying some knots. Tetra frowned a little when she noticed the serious expression on their faces. Just what was it they weren't telling her?

"Linebeck got upset about something this morning and left." Komali said as he was clanking a spoon against a glass below deck. He sounded a little uncertain of what had happened and wasn't going into a lot of detail about the situation.

"I haven't talked to him in a while…" Tetra said, exchanging a glance with Link who was staring down at a plate of biscuits in front of him. She could tell he was thinking about everything that was changing, they were officially one man down. Link couldn't do anything with a broken limb and with Tetra's condition she was out of the loop as well. They were at a loss and Tetra couldn't help but notice that helpless expression in Link's eyes. He was staring at the plate in front of him contemplating his options most likely. She crossed her arms over her stomach and leaned back in my chair, propping my feet up on the table.

"Maybe we should hold off for a while." Komali suggested. "There's no reason really to think about it right now since we're out of options until Link heals."

Tetra frowned. Why did it always fall in Link's shoulders? She tipped her chair back further, kicked the table and then let the front legs of her seat hit the floor with a thud. This made Link look up, startled by the rattling of the glass dishes and the loud noise of the wood clashing with the floor. Even Aryll seemed taken out of a daze. Medli had jolted, elbowing Komali in the ribs at the same time, all of which almost made Tetra laugh but she held a strong, serious expression.

"Quit sounding so dismal! We've overcome worse things haven't we? I've been turned to stone for crying out loud!" No one seemed surprised that Tetra had snapped, it was in her blood after all. Komali leaned back in his chair, rubbing his chest where Medli had caught him with her elbow and Link, Link seemed to be contemplating my words. He was so quiet.

"Now I say we stop worrying about what comes next and just go where the wind takes us. There's no reason to keep thinking about it this way. And in the case of Linebeck, let him do as he pleases, we don't need his help anyway." Tetra stopped and looked at Link out of the corner of her eye and he was obviously thinking about what she had just said.

"Yeah." He said finally and then he gave that confident and excited smile that Tetra had longed for. That sense of uncertainty and worry seemed to leave the room when he stood up and smacked his hand against the table to get attention.

"What is it with you two and making a ruckus?" Komali asked with an irritated sigh.

Link chuckled, "It works doesn't it?"

Three Days Later

Where the wind takes us? Aryll had always been okay with that before but for some reason she had a fire inside her that made her want to do something rash and unlike herself. Neither Link or Tetra were in any condition to do what she was about to do.

"Komali," Aryll called once she got to the crow's next where the Rito man was looking out over the seas.

"Good morning, Aryll." He said with a smile. He went back to looking over the water and then Aryll came around to rest her arms on the railing.

"I have a question."

Komali turned a little to show that she had his full attention, "Ask away."

She hesitated for a moment and tapped her fingers against the wooden surface before tucking a long strand of hair behind her ear. The wind had blown her french braid loose.

"Well, I was wondering if it is possible that letters are sent back and forth from the Forsaken Fortress and to it?"

This question seemed to take him by surprise, "Why are you asking?"

"I just want to know, it's always kind of puzzled me... the postal service intrigues me either way." She tried to hide how nervous she was as Komali began to explain how the system worked. If the address was on the envelope then that's where the letter went. But the truth was that there were no postal boxes at the Forsaken Fortress.

"That's quite a predicament." She whispered more to herself. There had to be another way of going about this.

"But it is possible if someone is there expecting the letter that the Rito in charge of it could take it to that person." Komali finished.

She smiled, that could work in her favor!

Unfortunately all her ideas were taking a few days to complete. She sent a letter to the postal service about sending someone over every few days to meet her anonymously at the Forsaken Fortress. She gave a fake name and said she'd be cloaked.

Her next step was to make a cloak. She spent two days sewing and making sure it fit and then the notice came back and she knew she was ready to depart. Aryll planned to finish her preparations the night of her departure while Link and Tetra were fast asleep.

The night of her departure she went into the room where Tetra and Link were fast asleep. The two of them were under the blankets huddled close together in each other's embrace, making it even more certain that they were deeply resting.

She was careful not to sigh in relief as she went over to the corner where Link kept his blade, arrows and other important weapons, his most treasured items. It was killing her inside to even mess with them but she couldn't go on without at least something to protect herself with. Carefully she reached over and picked up Link's old sword, it wasn't anything fancy - not like the Master Sword he'd carried so long ago, but it was sharp and had killed more enemies than she could even count.

It glistened in the moonlight, making her wish she'd never picked it up, if either of them were light sleepers they would see a bit of shine glaring against the wall. Just then Tetra rolled over and draped her arm over Link's chest and yawned but made no more noise than that as she rested against the pillow.

_Whew…_

Aryll felt sweat roll down her temple as she quietly sheathed the blade Link had carried for almost ten years. It was so heavy to her and she could only wonder within those calloused, battle weary hands, if it felt just as heavy. She shook off the pain in her chest and reminded herself that Link wouldn't be doing any fighting with that bad arm of his, he wouldn't need that sword. She could very well fix this problem on her own. With Tetra pregnant and Link still recovering from injuries, they were in no condition to be on an adventure as dangerous as this one.

She finished consoling herself and left as quietly as she could, careful of the door that seemed to creak if it was closed fast enough. She left it a crack open and then tiptoed up the stairs to the deck where she would prepare to lower a lifeboat.

Now, this was the scary part. She wasn't exactly sure how far away Forsaken Fortress was or it was humanly possible that she'd even make it in a lifeboat. Aryll ignored those thoughts as she began to lower the lifeboat, climbing in and taking the rope so she could get herself closer and closer to the water. It was creaking, making a terrible squeaking noise as it wiggled uncertainly. Her hands were already getting tired, she wasn't used to this. She felt the boat hit the water and she let go of the rope, undoing it from the lifeboat.

Her heart began to race terribly as she grabbed the oars in her small hands and moved them, almost painfully, in the direction she needed to go. She looked at the compass she took from Link and sighed.

"North west… I'm so sorry, _Big Brother_."

Tetra stood at the edge of the ship with her arms crossed, watching the little boat in the distance. Her brows furrowed in frustration in sadness. She knew Aryll was gone, for how long, she couldn't be certain. She only wished she knew what Aryll was thinking.

Link stared blankly down at the corner where his sword used to be. It was gone and there was no trace of the blade or his younger sister to be found. He stood there holding his breath and clenching his fist as he agonized over it. He felt sick and angry and Tetra could be seen standing behind him, refraining from giving him comfort because she knew he was on the verge of exploding.

"What was she thinking?" He said in a stiff tone.

"I…"

A glass plate broke against the floor after Link bumped into the cabinet in their quarters. "That girl… I can't even begin to fathom…"

"Link…"

He was quiet for a long moment, using the cabinet itself for support, arm stretched out and hand firmly pressed against the drawer. He was taking deep breaths through his nose and closing his eyes tight, willing it to all be a dream or even a nightmare.

"Why didn't you stop her?"

"Because she was already a good distance at sea, I doubt she'd even hear me over the waves!"

Link continued to say nothing after that and began to pace, eyes closed and hand still shaking. He was clenching his teeth and Tetra could tell just by looking at how his jaw was set and his brows seemed to be furrowed right between his eyes.

"She had to have had a good reason…"

"If she's going after Arkayne she'll be killed, Tetra! She'll die and it'll be all my fault!"

"No it won't!"

"It will! I don't want her to die!" Link sat down harsh on the bed and slammed his good fist against the mattress. "Grandma trusted me!"

"Aryll is almost eighteen years old now! We can't hold her back from what she feels she has to do even if we want to!"

"I don't care how old she is! She'll always be my baby sister!"

Tetra stepped back and looked away for a moment having to refrain from snapping at her husband in a way that would probably make him explode. She looked at the corner and sighed softly.

"She took your hero's blade, Link… part of you is with her."

"That doesn't mean she can handle it."

Tetra shook her head slowly, "No… it doesn't. But we have to trust that she'll be alright. You can't give up on her."

"I…"

"She loves you, that is why she left. Aryll knows what she's doing."

Link glanced down at his bad arm and forced himself to look away from it, he was useless and he knew that for a fact.

"I hope so… I really hope so." He said with a shaken sigh.

"And remember… when having courage it doesn't just mean slaying monsters, it means having the strength to believe that while you recover that your family and friends will be alright. You have to believe in her, Link. She's gone through so much with us… and now it's time for her to spread her wings and fly, even if it's not the circumstance you wished to see her do so in."

Link nodded.

"We just have to believe." Tetra sat down next to him and squeezed his good hand reassuringly before leaning over to give him a soft kiss. "I love you."

Link kissed her back, "I love you more."

Two days of rowing. Aryll tied her boat at the Forsaken Fortress and looked up and around. It was so eerie and familiar to her, she knew exactly where the dungeon was and how to get there. It seemed that a lot of the fortress was rebuilt, but to the point where none of it looked steady. She climbed onto the stone built path and then walked wearily up the stairs.

A light shone on her face and she lifted her arm to shield her eyes from it. Phantoms lurked all over but none made a point to look at her or chase her down as she slowly ascended the stairway. She heard her feet clack against the ground, echoing along with the noise of metal boots and armor.

"Ahhh…" An echo of a voice came, "a visitor."

She turned but saw no one so she turned another direction until she saw a cloaked figure on the next round of stairs.

"What brings you to my… _palace_?" He came towards her and stopped, standing taller than even Link had. He reached down and placed a finger under her chin.

"Look at me."

She looked at him but could only see a bit of his chin and a white smile.

"My, my… what a beautiful _flower._"

Aryll said nothing.

"What can I do for you?"

She had to earn his trust so she gave him a devious little smirk and raised her eyes to his.

"I'm here to help you on your quest…" She said while trying to mimic his grin. "_to kill Link_."

_To Be Continued…_


	11. Change

**Oh my goodness guys, long time no see! It took forever to get an update but now I should be uploading more regularly since I've figured out the chapters and when the story will end! I've missed it here so I'm glad to be back, life has been so hectic and so I'm finally settling just a little! Enjoy One Wish 11!**

**-Gwen**

* * *

"What did she talk to you about?"

Komali was eating breakfast when Link started to talk to him about Aryll's departure and if anything she said may have even inclined that she planned on leaving the ship. Link had been on everyone's case since he found out two days before.

"She asked about how the postal service worked." Komali shrugged, "I didn't even consider it… necessarily a question about leaving."

"Why would she ask about the postal service?" Tetra asked as she sat down next to Link.

"She asked if it was possible to… oh."

"What?" Link snapped, "Possible to what?"

"She said something about the Forsaken Fortress."

The realization hit Link like a rock and he eased against the back of his chair quietly, rubbing his eyes with his thumb and index finger. She'd gone to the Forsaken Fortress alone with nothing but a sword for a weapon. Link had never been struck with such undeniable worry in his entire life.

"That..."

"Quit." Tetra slapped the back of his head, "Remember what I told you? That girl probably has more courage in her than you think. You two are blood related and have been through a lot together, I honestly don't think she needs a triforce on the back of her hand to get courage. I'm almost positive that's not where all of yours comes from."

"That's not what I'm saying, I'm saying she's not even trained with me, she has no idea how to use that blade and I couldn't even defeat him, I found out the hard way that I wasn't ready."

"Oh? And what makes you think she's going there to fight him? Just because she took the sword doesn't mean that she went for a battle. Why would she ask about the postal service if she was just going for a fight?"

"I don't know!" Link slammed his bad arm on the table and then snatched it back, glaring at Tetra a little.

"Hey, you did that to yourself! Don't get mad at me for it... hey, where'd they go?" Tetra looked around and discovered that Komali and Medli had left the room. "Oh well... until we get word from Aryll though, which I have a feeling we will, we need to just go a day at a time here. Get better and then we can deal with this situation."

"It's been over a month!"

"And your arm was pulled out of socket." Tetra rolled her eyes. "It's not like you'll let me help anyway..."

"It's not like you can."

Link hadn't realized then that his choice of words weren't really the best. Tetra slapped him, "Excuse me? I have two hands, I can do double what you can!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah! I can..."

"Okay, show me?" Link stepped back waiting for Tetra to show him what she could do. She narrowed her eyes and spaced her feet apart, reaching out a hand and closing her eyes tightly. She began to focus her energy and a ball of light shot from her hand and began to bounce around the room. Glass shattered, things were knocked off shelves and both Tetra and Link found themselves ducking. It was then that Gonzo entered the room.

"What's going-"

And it hit him square in the face.

"Oops..." Tetra had never done that before but it hadn't seem to harm him too badly. "I'm so sorry!"

Link snorted when he saw Gonzo's face, a strange circular burn was pasted on his forehead and he seemed to be in a bit of shock. "What the heck was that?"

"It was nothing! Get back up on deck, no one said you could come into our quarters! Out!" Tetra snapped, pushing Gonzo out the door and slamming it behind him. "Can't a woman get some peace for once?"

"That was hardly peaceful..." Link muttered more to himself than her.

"Hmm? What did you say?"

"Nothing... nothing."

Tetra walked in his direction and eyed him curiously up and down, "I've been preoccupied lately, I forgot how handsome you are." She grinned and leaned up to give him a kiss.

Link was taken aback at first, not prepared for her to do that and then he felt her hands on his shoulders as they slowly reached around his neck. He fell into the kiss and then stepped back, putting a hand to his head.

"I'm sorry... it's not a good time."

"Link..."

"I'm sorry."

Tetra sighed defeatedly, "I'm sorry too."

Aryll could almost see her breath, sitting at a dining table in what looked to once have been a mess hall, she assumed. Legends said that pirates once inhabited the Forsaken Fortress. The food was terrible, nothing edible in her eyes, though she knew this is what she signed up for when she stated that she wanted to take part in Arkayne's plan.

"Why don't you eat?" He asked, his voice was not very deep, he was quite young by the looks of his face, smooth skin with a bit of stubble around his chin. "This is the best I have to offer you. Eat."

Aryll poked at the food on her plate, she was almost certain that it wasn't cooked correctly. She hesitated before looking at him.

"M-May I?"

"May you what?"

"Cook... from now on?"

Arkayne slammed his fist against the table. "You're insulting my cooking?"

"N-Not at all... I just thought you might like a real cook while you take care of... things." Aryll wasn't sure how to go about wording what she thought he might actually be planning. Her brother's demise. Her heart seemed to be dropping into her stomach. The thought of her brother being killed was terrifying.

"That actually sounds pleasant." Arkayne said, exaggerating the S in the words he said. "You'll start with breakfast tomorrow, no later than sunup." He stood and she managed to get a glimpse of the gossip stone around his neck. Aryll blinked in surprise, wondering why in all the great seas, he would carry that around with him.

It's not like he spoke to anyone... or maybe he did? But to who? Before she could really react to it, however, he'd already left the dining room and she was left alone with a half cooked meal. Within the hour he'd have gone to bed already and she could start more research and hopefully get in contact with Link and Tetra soon. After grabbing two journals from the study, Aryll made her way to her chamber which consisted of a couple lamps, a wooden bunk and a small table with a little stool next to it. It was nothing compared to her quarters on the pirate ship.

She laid down and opened the journal, they were logs of adventures long past... or recent, she couldn't be sure. The pages didn't seem too worn down. Her eyes were heavy but she needed to find out as much as she could about the sand of hours and if it was necessary to even go on a wild goose chase for more. It seemed what they had should have been enough to at least get them past the main floors, she had.

"Or maybe..." Aryll mumbled to herself, flipping through the pages quietly. Even the slightest noise echoed in the room she stayed in. Her hands stopped on a page with nothing but sketches on it. There was a shape, an X with a straight line on the top and a straight line on the bottom.

"The hourglass..." She whispered. Beneath that sketch was a key but she wasn't sure what it meant or if she was supposed to find these things somewhere in the fortress. She bookmarked the page discretely and climbed out of bed to put it away. This would be her secret.

"Where are you going?"

Komali put his wings down and looked back to see Medli standing behind him, wind blowing her hair every which way, it was headed north. He stopped to get down off the boats railing and smiled to her, cupping her chin with his palm.

"I'm going to talk to Aryll. I know where she is."

"Then let me go with you-"

"You're needed here and I won't be gone long."

There was a moment of silence between them, the breeze was the only sound and it left a cold shiver that Medli began to experience standing there in nothing but her nightgown.

"When are we going to stop hiding?"

Komali's shoulders sagged, "We don't have time to talk about this right now, our world is being attacked again, Link's sister is at the fortress and until I get word that she's alright we can't rest."

"She's fine." Medli replied. "She'll be fine."

"Link can't be convinced of that until she's seen with our eyes. If I don't go talk to her now he won't rest either. If this chaos continues..."

"I am a sage and no one is trusting my judgement! Trust me when I say that Aryll will be fine and return in one piece!" Medli snapped, her eyes narrowed and her voice shook. "Why won't you trust me? You've trusted me before!"

"It's really not that I don't trust you but with this crisis..."

Medli held up a hand towards him, "You owe me a talk when you get back. Go find Aryll."

Komali gave a prompt nod and turned around, stretching his arms out before taking off, flying as the breeze caught under his feathers. Medli waited for him to disappear into the distance before turning around and pressing a fist to the corner of her eye. She wasn't used to crying like that. Before she could take a step further she was suddenly embraced in warmth and comfort, feeling lips against her own.

"I'll be back before you know it." Komali said, using his thumb to wipe a tear away. "I promise."

Medli's eyes were wide with shock but she couldn't deny the joy she felt just looking at him. He gave her one last kiss and a tight hug before departing without another word. Still standing there, hands still forcing to close into fists, ready to cry again. She tried to console herself but it was almost useless.

Sages don't cry. She thought, failing to make that a fact, tears were still pouring down like small waterfalls. She dragged her arm across her face in an attempt to take them all out at once before anyone could see her losing composure. But with the ship stopped somewhere in the middle of the ocean and everyone sleeping she was sure that no one would see her crying.

"I'm sorry."

"What are you apologizing for?" Tetra asked, she stood idly behind Medli studying the back of her left hand, brows slightly furrowed yet she seemed to have a very uninterested expression.

"I didn't mean to wake you up, Komali left..."

"I know he did, he told Link he would earlier."

Medli looked back, "You mean everyone knew before me?"

"I think he meant to be back by morning originally..." Tetra leaned against the railing and rested both elbows on it, kicking one foot out as she glanced off, the ocean was pitch black except for the reflection of the moon on the surface.

"It's a dangerous journey... going to the fortress alone." Medli rubbed her arm and looked down at her feet. "I wanted to go too."

"You're needed here."

"I know," Medli paused for a minute to consider what Tetra was saying. There was a chance she'd have an important vision, not to mention the role of support went to her since Aryll was gone. "But I couldn't help but worry that something bad might happen to him."

"You should know Komali so much better than that..."

Medli spotted a strange look on Tetra's face, her eyes almost looked a little bit surprised.

"Is something the matter?"

Tetra shook her head, "I-If I tell you you'll be the first to find out everything. You were the first to know when I got pregnant..."

"Oh that's right. Wait... is it coming?"

"Huh? NO! Um... it's not coming now, it's too early for that." Even in the moonlight Tetra's face could be seen and she was red, almost as if it embarrassed her to be talking about it.

"It must feel strange..." Medli studied her for a long moment, "you were skinny and now you're-"

"Don't say it! I'm not that big am I?"

"N-Not at all... I've never seen a pregnant... person... really."

"Huh? Really?"

"Yes."

Tetra laughed softly, "Well, I guess you're in luck, eh?" She stood up straight and laid a hand on her belly, "I guess I should go to bed... are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Thank you, Tetra."

"Any time, sleep isn't something I'm used to anymore."

Medli nodded wearily, "I think I'll try to rest... a little." She said and then disappeared into her quarters.

Tetra watched her go and then turned around, hands on her belly which was starting to take on a round shape. In the middle of her fourth month and the baby was already moving. It was the first time she'd felt that. She couldn't wait to tell Link.

She didn't want to wait too long to tell him either.

When Aryll woke up the next morning the first thing she saw was Arkayne's face. He was sitting by her bed staring at her with a look that she couldn't really read. She sat up and blinked, a curtain was covering the window or else it would have been brighter.

"You said you'd cook."

"I did..."

"I'm starving." Arkayne sounded frustrated as he spoke, he stood up and headed for the door, "Did you hear me? I'm starving."

"I'm coming..." Aryll nodded and sighed in relief at the fact that he hadn't come in and decided to kill her upon finding out that she hadn't woken up before him to make breakfast. As she headed for the door she glanced over to see that the books were still there, he hadn't noticed. If nothing eventful happened she'd have to go back and read some more.

The kitchen barely looked like a kitchen. The dishes were scattered and a lot of them were broken or chipped, the food was fairly undesirable and she wasn't sure what to make. Yes, she could cook just fine but that was if she had all the ingredients she needed to do so. She found some fish... and rice. Aryll knew exactly how to test if it was fresh or not so she brought it close to smell.

"Ahem... fresh enough." She found a skillet and started the fire. Taking off her cloak, she grabbed the corners and tied it around her waist to use it as an apron. She found butter and another pot for the rice, finally noticing as she began to cook it all just how tired she was. And Aryll knew, at the end of the day she would have to repeat this if she couldn't find anything else to cook.

"Aryll."

She looked around and then up to a window that she could see where she stood and there sat Komali. She sighed in relief and grinned, "What are you doing here?"

"That's what I wanted to ask you." He put his hand against the side of the window for support as he leaned over.

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

"... Cooking? Why... never mind. Link is really angry."

"I knew he would be." Aryll looked away from him and stirred the rice. "Are you here to take me home?"

"No. I'm here to make sure you are okay. Medli saw this coming and that's why she didn't bother to say anything to anyone. She knew they would be opposed to it."

"Yes." Aryll looked up at him again, "You should leave."

"I am. Just glad to see that you are okay." Komali gave her a reassuring smile and then he turned around and flew off without another word.

Aryll finished cooking and put each item on a plate. She regretted letting Komali go off without asking him to come again and bring more cooking supplies. Oh well, there was no turning back now. She headed to the dining area where Arkayne was waiting somewhat impatiently.

"Sorry, it took me a while to find something to cook."

"My head hurts."

"Huh?" Aryll looked over to see him, once staring at her in annoyance, to doubling over with his head in his hands. "What is it?"

"M-My head. I want Link dead! No, I don't want to kill anyone, I don't!"

Aryll was confused, she ran to him and tried to look into his eyes, they kept changing every time he blinked and he looked horrified. She didn't know what to do to help him though. Suddenly they settled on one color and he scowled.

"What are you doing?" He snapped, slapping her hard across the face and knocking her away, "I said I'm starving!"

"I'm... I'm sorry." She ran to the platter and moved his plate to him and then sat all the way on the other side of the table, hesitant to touch the food in front of her. He ate quietly, no longer acting like his head was hurting or looking as though he had conflicting personalities. That would be something she would have to watch for, it seemed like part of him was fighting. But was he losing the fight was the big question.


	12. One Wish

**Hey guys, oh my gosh it's been so long. I'm so sorry for taking this long to update but… man! Life has been insane and I just… moved into my first place and got crazy with school but here it is! I feel bad for taking so long but I hope this is okay, it seems kind of rushed but I was ready for this part.**

**Thank you so much for your reviews and love for One Wish despite how messy it seems with three years of changing up the story and events… I appreciate all the support! Again, thank you!**

**-Gwen**

* * *

Aryll failed to ignore the disgusting flavor in her mouth after yet another dinner with Arkayne. Although he seemed to be getting quieter rather than more impatient, she grew surprised when it didn't seem that he would do anything all day. She was often catering to his every whim and still waited for the opportune moment to take the gossip stone from him. But that moment had yet to come.

Even Arkayne began to grow tired of the meals, but only when his eyes turned green did he ever express real disgust with the food.

"It tastes rotten..." He'd say. Sometimes his eyes stayed green for at least two hours and they would talk. The conversations weren't very lengthy, mostly he complained of headaches and Aryll, being resourceful, would try and conjure remedies. Nothing helped and soon after his eyes would fade to yellow and he would slap her away and question her actions.

"This is exhausting..." Aryll mumbled one night. She wandered to her dank chambers and grabbed a journal off the shelf to read. After turning on the lantern next to her bed she opened it and flipped through the wrinkled pages. There were a lot of drawings, shapes and notes of various things he had found on his journeys. None of it expressed hatred towards Link but there were still many to go through. She didn't expect to see anything though, somehow she had a feeling that Arkayne wasn't still writing.

Her eyes grew heavy after five pages and she shut it, not realizing how tired she really was. Aryll staggered to the shelf and slipped it amongst the other journals and then headed back to bed.

Not even two hours later she was awoken with a shock when Arkayne made himself comfortable in the seat next to the table where the lantern had burnt out. It was too dark for him to be complaining of hunger and needing breakfast. She turned on the lantern and saw his eyes, his hair had black in it.

"Sorry to wake you, I keep having nightmares."

"Wha..."

"I've been coming to my senses a lot... I'm not even sure where I am."

Aryll sat up straight and pulled the thin blanket around her shoulders, "Wha..." she yawned and then continued, "What do you mean?"

"Where am I?"

"Forsaken Fortress... who do you think you are?"

"I think I'm Arkayne... I was exploring a king's temple and then suddenly I was here."

Aryll raised her brows in surprise, "You have black in your hair..."

"Ah... maybe-" He cut himself off and jumped up in annoyance and his eyes were yellow again. He glared at her and then stormed off angrily.

She couldn't tell if it was a dream or if it was real. Aryll began to feel more desperation about getting the gossip stone so she could tell Link and Tetra what was happening. But first she wanted to go back to bed, because he'd be back in a matter of hours for breakfast.

It was hard. No matter how she tried she couldn't get back to sleep, her heart was beating too fast and because of what she was seeing it was hard to keep her eyes closed. Arkayne wasn't what she thought he was originally. It seemed he was trying to break out of the shell he was trapped inside.

Unable to keep her eyes closed, Aryll climbed out of bed and began to read again. The journal entries grew shorter the more she read and soon enough they were just mindless scribbles, some even seemed to be asking for help. She slammed the journal shut and felt a headache forming and she knew there was nothing else to get from that. So she went back to sleep, or tried to sleep anyway.

Aryll lost track of time. Sometimes Komali would visit and bring things she needed to cook with, basic necessities. She would spend hours preparing meals and trying to dig through the journals for some information on Arkayne but slowly he was unraveling himself for her.

"... Arkayne Earhdt." He said one night, he had another nightmare and woke Aryll to tell her about it and with telling her he also revealed his whole name.

She kept thinking about his name and how it had a nice ring to it. It was getting hard to focus, Aryll noticed while cooking dinner. She wasn't well and it was hard to eat and she slept for long hours until Arkayne would wake her again and sometimes he even woke her while in his normal state of mind.

Aryll was trying to cook, mind foggy and she couldn't stop coughing. It had started without warning, the coughing fits. She was in the middle of cutting bread when she accidentally cut her hand and stepped away from the table.

"Ow..." She hissed, looking for a cloth to put on the wound. Aryll lost her footing and tumbled to the floor, passed out.

When she woke she saw Arkayne holding her hand, wrapping something around it slowly. His face held focus, he obviously didn't want to make a mistake.

"Arkayne..." Aryll coughed loudly.

"I'm so glad you're awake, there was... there was blood all over!" He stammered, "I was fearing for you, really... really fearing for you!"

She sighed in relief, he was clear again. It lasted days now. "Forgive me..." She coughed and covered her mouth with her good hand.

"You're sick, you didn't tell me..."

"I didn't really think you would -" And she couldn't stop coughing, she pulled her hand away and rolled onto her side, using both to cover her mouth so she wouldn't cough on him too.

"What can I do? Is there anything I can do?"

"I need that..." Aryll gasped and coughed again, "Gossip stone!" Finally she'd gotten the courage to ask for it, the stone around his neck.

Arkayne looked helpless for a moment but then he realized that there was indeed a stone hanging there. He grasped it and gave a good tug and the strap snapped with ease. He laid it next to her and then realized she was coughing much too violently to take it. He stood and ran out of the room and returned with water in hopes that it would clear it up. He tucked his hand gently under her neck to support her head and then his eyes widened in shock, she was burning, her body was very hot to the touch.

But she accepted the water, swallowing it eagerly after he'd moved her hands aside. He felt relieved but then he looked at her hands and his eyes widened in horror. She'd coughed up blood.

"She seemed very tired..." Komali pointed out after returning once again.

He, Medli, Tetra and Link were all seated at a table discussing the situation again. "She said that Arkayne has long conversations with her now and is very coherent."

Link looked confused, "Conversations about what?"

"His adventures."

This had been going on in a few months time span, he'd always report back with encouraging news and it wasn't surprising that Aryll would be tired. It was a lot to take in and Link didn't know how to comprehend what he was hearing.

"How coherent?" Link asked and then noticed Tetra shifting in her seat and reached to touch her shoulder. She only glared in reply.

"Coherent enough to help her cook, Link."

"Would you stop worrying so much? I'm fine." Tetra wiggled her shoulder so he would take his hand off of her.

"I thought he was an enemy... I'm confused." Link did her the favor and took his hand off her shoulder. It seemed like their little Miska could come at any moment even though Tetra continued to tell him that it would still be a little while.

"Arkayne himself is not our enemy, it's the phantoms."

"But..."

"You wouldn't listen to me." Medli replied, "I told you that this was something that would take time and you've taken your time to get well again and now might be the best time to go back and see what's happening." She finished before grabbing a piece of bread off the table.

Link looked at Tetra who hadn't said much and it was because she was tired or else she would have had a lot more to say.

"I think you should get Aryll back." Tetra said.

"Her being over there has done us good if she's gotten this far into finding out who our enemy is." Komali hurried to say, "I mean... we were blind before this. I think she's our hero."

Link's eyes grew wide, "What?"

"You can't be the hero all the time..." Tetra shifted again, "let her stand out for a bit, you'll get to save her again one day. I'd like to have her back soon though..." She winked, "So we can go home."

He nodded in agreement, "I know." Link was worried, they'd been stopping at various islands for supplies but they were all within close range to Forsaken Fortress.

"She's still aiming to get the gossip stone... so hopefully we'll hear from her soon." Komali said with a hopeful sigh.

"Aryll... please be okay..." Arkayne was at a loss for what to do. He kept giving her water and she continued to cough haphazardly. He found himself sitting there staring down at her as her chest rose and fell like she was struggling to breathe. He had never worried over something so much in his entire life, never. Hesitantly he reached out and touched her forehead, smoothing her beautiful blond hair back gently. For a moment she opened her eyes to look at him and then licked her lips, they were already dry.

"Ark..."

"Yes?"

"Gossip..."

He looked at the stone again and picked it up, "What do I do with it?"

"Summon... Link..."

His mind snapped for a moment when he heard the name, his body struggled to fight against the magic trying to take over once again. He dropped the stone on the floor and stood up, backing away from her but it was out of his control.

"ARRGH!" He shouted. Arkayne reached for her, grasping at nothing but air while the cape he wore drew tentacles that grasped his arms and tugged on him. "Noo!" He struggled against them, beginning to pour sweat. The monster was at his skin and he had to use all his willpower not to let it eat away at him. His once, silvery hair was beginning to fade to black, his skin turned a healthy pink but he still fought. He staggered over to the other wall where he'd spotted a sword. It was his only hope.

Arkayne panted, heaving as he struggled to break free of the monster. He grabbed at a tentacle and pulled as hard as he could, magic force held it together. But he could feel it coming loose, he tore it and then it disintegrated. Finally he reached the sword and rolled into the monster, fighting against more tentacles and eventually stabbing the eye.

Tearing free had never felt so amazing. The monster flew backwards and crashed through the wall. Arkayne used this as a chance to pick up Aryll and the gossip stone and then he ran out the door and down a flight of stairs. He felt her go limp in his arms and saw that she was still breathing but not as well as earlier on.

"Stay with me!" He mumbled to her and then a tower collapsed behind him and he was stuck in the middle of the courtyard of the fortress. In a last attempt, he managed to get the gossip stone on and it glowed and floated above his palm.

"HELP!" He shouted, "It's A-Arkayne! I need help, who ever is out there! We're at Forsaken Fortress!" He looked above him and suddenly the monster was looming over and about to crash down on him. He scrambled for a safer place, his heart pounding up into his throat. He was at a dead end and he turned and was face to face with the beast that had possessed him.

"Aryll... I'm so sorry..."

"We're not getting there fast enough!" Link snapped, his mind was racing. The message they'd received from Arkayne was clear yet very panicked, the noises in the background were less than pleasant and he couldn't help but fear for the safety of his sister. Everything was happening at once.

"Link..." Tetra breathed, "I think she's going to be okay, I know you're scared, so are we but we can't make it go faster."

"I know. I just wish we'd gotten there sooner than this." He looked at her and noticed sweat beading at her forehead. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's a hot day, sorry. I'm a little tired of being pregnant."

Link tried to smile but his fears were overwhelming. "Dangit! There has to be a faster way!"

Tetra reached to put a hand on his shoulder and then Komali appeared before them. "There is! I'll take you, but it's risky. The fortress is falling apart."

"Wha-"

"It's bad! Hang on to my ankles, I'll get you there."

Link glanced at Tetra who just nodded her approval. He gave her a quick kiss and then took off with Komali, arrows intact since he had no idea what he was up against. After he was gone Tetra cringed and clutched her belly, falling to one knee before Medli ran over to support her.

"Tetra?"

"It's nothing..." She smirked as she watched Link disappear into the distance, "We have to get to that fortress."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying he's not going to defeat that beast without me."

"But... you almost collapsed." Medli gasped, "How can you be thinking this way?"

"You forget who I am, stop worrying."

Medli watched Tetra waddle off to her quarters and then return with her own bow and light arrows, smirking the whole time. "Let's go, you're taking me."

"No I'm not!"

"You are, I'm not going to sit here and let my husband fight it alone! Now take me, I'm going to be just fine!"

Medli knew there was no point in fighting the pirate captain and so she got up there on the edge of the ship and waited for Tetra to take her ankles.

"Where are you going?" Gonzo shouted.

"To fight evil! See you later!" But before he could stop her she was already in the air. Dangerous as it was she was probably the bravest of all of them.

Arkayne tasted blood on his lips when he came to. He was under some rubble but still holding Aryll who appeared to have coughed up more blood since he last looked at her. He reached to check her pulse and sighed when he realized that she was still alive. Good... but what happened to the monster? He got up and immediately had vertigo from a head injury he hadn't noticed yet. Breaking through the rubble, he saw some light and got out, careful of being noticed by the beast.

He noticed the gossip stone glowing around his wrist and wondered if it'd worked, had help come? He headed to the center of the courtyard and just as he got closer he saw a blond man land and a rito landed as well. He stopped short and stared, realizing that the blond boy had a lot of resemblance to his Aryll.

"H-Hey!" He ran towards the man and stopped again when he saw an arrow pointed at him and only anger in the man's eyes.

"STAY BACK!" Link snapped, "Where- Aryll! What have you done?"

"Before you get the wrong idea I was trying to sa-"

"Shut up, Arkayne!"

"You don't understand, I'm not the danger! Why would I call for help if I was?"

"Put her down."

"But..."

"Now!"

Arkayne reluctantly laid Aryll on the ground. Laying flat only made it harder for her to breathe, her chest heaved and she gasped in struggle. He put his hands up as Link approached him.

"You don't understand." Arkayne was growing angry. "There's a monster here, if it weren't for me your precious Aryll would be dead."

"I won't trust you yet." Link seethed.

"Link..." Komali stepped in, "I really don't think he's your battle, I sense a really dark magic here and it's not coming from him."

"Where's it coming from?" Link normally listened to his sources. He tried to calm down a little bit as he prepared himself for a battle. He was still a little sore but other than that he was sure he was ready.

"I don't know... but it's getting closer."

Without any sort of warning the beast fell from the sky and swiped at Link, launching him half way across the courtyard. Arkayne used this as a chance to pick up Aryll and run. He had to find that sword for Link, arrows weren't going to cut it! He tucked Aryll somewhere he thought she'd be safe and then took off through the rubble to find the blade.

Tetra landed somewhere far off with Medli, still looking a little pale and tired, "This is different than I remembered it."

"Well it's kind of in the middle of falling apart so..." Medli wanted to take her back to the ship but that was out of the question.

"... Why did you drop me out here? The action is in there."

"I know but..."

"Listen, after I have this baby I won't be doing much adventuring, just take me in so I can at least shoot it down with light arrows. Link can't defeat it without them."

"But..."

Tetra just glared at Medli before doubling over again gasping.

"See? You can't do this, you can barely stand for a few minutes."

Another glare and Medli stopped talking. So she reached down and patted Tetra's back for a minute, "You should have had it a long time ago..."

"That's not how it works! I keep telling you that... OOOW!"

"And I keep telling you we should be back on the ship!" Medli was really frustrated, "Link is going to be so upset if he finds out I brought you here!"

"F-F...Fine! Take these to him... oow..." Tetra laid down on her side and curled up, "And when he finishes that battle he can come back here and face me because I'm going to break his arm again!"

Medli frowned, "I can't leave you here alone... you look sick."

"I'm not." Tetra said breathlessly, "I'm having a baby... I'll be fine. I've honestly been through worse..."

"I know that's a lie."

"Stop reading my mind, I felt that." She felt more pain and squeezed her eyes shut as if that would tune all the discomfort out. "Please just do that, you can come back and do what you think is right but Link needs the arrows."

Medli hesitated and then saw Tetra start to stand up again, "I need to help him though, there's no telling what he's up against. Uugh..."

"Tetra... lay back. I'll take you to the ship when I return... don't have it yet!"

"It'll be a while... n-now go!"

Medli followed orders and carried off the items in a satchel hanging around her shoulder, she had to hurry.

Tetra watched and looked around, stuck at the outside and wishing she could get in there and fight but she had her own battle to worry about. She laid back and breathed through the contractions, Miska was definitely well on her way and just a little bit early.

Link had never loved a weapon so much in his entire life, save for his sword but the light arrows and bow were perfect and just what he needed. Medli didn't say much but she looked frantic as she flew off into the sky again and disappeared over the fortress walls.

Arkayne had just found Link's sword when he came back and saw him with the arrows just as the beast descended on them again, raging and flailing about. Link's aim was spot on, shooting one, two - and then three arrows into the beast's eyes. Flashes of light blared and danced even under the sunlight which seemed to be disappearing behind the clouds. Since Link had the beast well under control, Arkayne dashed off to find Aryll again. When he found her he picked her up and felt for her pulse.

"Stay with me..." He whispered, "Dangit... please." He began to cry into her neck, fingers laced into her hair and body shaking, "Stay... STAY WITH ME!" He snapped, "Please... I... I love you."

A spark of blue light appeared before Arkayne, a beautiful face but he couldn't make out the rest, it was blinding. She smiled at him and leaned down, eyes locking with his. He felt a warm touch on his cheek and she giggled. "So you know what love is?"

"I think..."

"Hmm?"

"I know..."

"What do you desire, Arkayne?" The voice was soft and gentle, like the caress of a breeze.

Arkayne thought about it, his heart pounded so loud his ears could hear it thumping. He looked at the fairy, he assumed that was what she was, big tears rolled down his cheeks and he looked at the fragile girl limp in his arms. He choked and laid her in front of the fairy, blood stained at the corner of her mouth, hair matted and skin, white as a snow.

"One wish, Arkayne."

"Just one...?"

"Yes, dear." The fairy smiled sweetly, watching Arkayne stroke Aryll's head lovingly.

"There are far too many things I want today... I want this battle to be over, I want Aryll to live and to be with her forever... I want to right all the wrongs I've committed... against my will."

"My dear, Arkayne... you cannot be held accountable for such things... they were out of your control, what matters now is that you have a pure heart." She tilted her head, "Your greatest desire is to see this girl well?"

"E-Even if it means we cannot be together... I wish to see her live a beautiful life, marry... and have a family. I want her to be with her brother again as well."

"So what is your wish, Arkayne?"

He held Aryll's hand and cried more, unable to control himself, "Bring her back... that's my only wish is to have her alive and well."

"You are certain?"

"I've never been more certain in my entire life." Arkayne cried, "I beg of you, that is my one desire and wish."

"So be it."

A flash of light ignited and engulfed everything, the whole fortress was ablaze with a beautiful white and blue light.

"What is that?" Tetra pushed herself up, still in a lot of pain. She watched the light flash and spread and then shrink and suddenly everything was quiet.

Link tried to catch his breath, scraped up and weary from battle but other than that his wounds were minimal. He looked around and couldn't find the beast anywhere, in fact the place looked pretty clean. He spotted Komali looking equally as confused.

"What happened?" Komali asked, "How are we not blind?"

"I don't know... that was huge." Link turned around and saw Arkayne carrying Aryll out from behind a wall that had previously been rubble. He dropped to his knees, gasping as he gently laid her down and felt her pulse again, it was normal. He chuckled to himself and then laughed, tears poured down his cheeks, especially once she'd opened her eyes. Those beautiful, blue eyes. She stared up at him in confusion and then she smiled.

"Ark?"

"Yeah... it's me..."

"You look healthy... that's good."

"Aryll!" Link cried and ran over to her with speed he didn't know he had. "Thank goodness, I'm so glad!" He looked at Arkayne with a stern look and before he could say anything Aryll sat up and sighed.

"He saved me. Please... if you are going to lecture him please wait a while. We've all been through a lot."

Link huffed, "Okay, I can wait."

"Thank you... where's Tetra?"

True to her word, once they were back on the ship Tetra was crushing Link's hand. The whole time they were in the fortress she'd laid there with Medli being clueless and asking questions that Tetra could not comprehend.

"That's it..." Aryll consoled, she was energetic as if she'd never been ill at all. In fact, she didn't remember being sick at all. "Push! You're doing amazing!"

Tetra gave a painful smirk, "Heh, I'm... good at this..." She stopped to breathe and pulled on Link's hand, signaling that she needed his support again to sit up.

"You are!" Aryll laughed, "Okay, push again... almost there!"

Link was pale, he had no idea what this day would be like but it felt... to him, easier than he thought it would be. Not for Tetra, of course, but to his shock she was handling it well and she used sarcasm and even chuckled a couple times.

"Oow, that really hurts!" Tetra cried, she bit her lower lip and pushed, barely tightening her grip on his hand like he'd expected and then her grip was gone. She released a breath she'd been holding and fell back against the pillows tiredly, catching her breath while Link held his.

A squeak came and then a full cry, a beautiful cry that they'd waited months to hear.

"It's a girl!" Aryll grinned, she had started to cry.

Link let go of Tetra's hand and walked over to view his new daughter, while helping Aryll cut the cord. He held his breath again and then smiled when nothing bad happened, he'd been so nervous for months about that. Aryll wrapped the tiny baby with blond fuzz on her head, in a blanket and passed her to Tetra.

"Miska..." Tetra's smile had grown when she saw their little daughter for the first time. She looked at Link and as if reading her mind, their lips met in a loving kiss.


	13. Epilogue

**This is probably one of the biggest plot twists and I hope you guys really enjoy it! Anyway, thank you for reading One Wish and hopefully soon I can do something new and, well, keep it consistent!**

**Please enjoy!**

**-Gwen**

* * *

Outset Island was bursting with excitement and festivities. Aryll stood in front of a mirror and waited while her grandmother braided her hair, intertwining beautiful ribbons within each strand.

"Let me see." Grandmother had Aryll turn around and smiled approvingly. "My beautiful girl... you make the loveliest bride."

Aryll sniffed, "G-Grandma..."

"Is she ready?" Tetra peered into the room, dressed up and carrying newborn Miska in a sling.

"She is... where's Link?"

"I'm here." Link walked in, dressed appropriately for the special occasion. His hair, still fluffed as ever, seemed just a little tame. He linked arms with Aryll and found himself holding his breath.

"Breathe, Brother."

"Sorry." Link smiled finally, "This is hard."

"I know." She hugged him a little, "But it's okay, I'm not going anywhere."

Link had reluctantly approved of Aryll's wedding but it was hard, he felt almost sad, it was bittersweet. He walked Aryll out slowly and after the steps and down the dirt path, Arkayne stood on one of the nicer stones, smooth and perfect for a wedding. He reached out his hand and and Link let go of her arm after saying that he was giving her away.

It was painful, those words. It should have been something a father did but he was the older brother, he watched out for her. Gulping against the lump in his throat he stepped away and went to sit next to Tetra. She took his hand and squeezed it gently, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

"It's okay." She whispered.

"I know..." Link was holding his breath again.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."

Arkayne and Aryll's eyes locked before they shared the most beautiful kiss. The citizens of the island began to throw flower petals, tropical and beautiful. Arkayne laughed with Aryll as he scooped her up into his arms, bridal style while everyone cheered and congratulated them.

Link held Tetra's hand and smiled at her wearily.

"You're such a trooper."

Link chuckled, "I'm trying to be happy... and maybe it's not that I'm sad, it's just unreal."

"You have to be pleased though... if it weren't for him she wouldn't be here."

"Right." Link's smile grew, "It just took one wish."

-End-


End file.
